Something Precious
by ElizabethGold
Summary: This is the story of Rumplestiltskin and Belle's long lost, tiny, and sickly daughter, Elizabeth, and his version of Grace. Taken from Belle as a baby and left to die in the wilderness, the child survives to find her father, with whom she forms an unbreakable bond that not even a curse could break. A story of tragedy, hope, and the unbreakable bond between a father and his child.
1. Chapter 1-Christmas Eve

Chapter 1

Christmas Eve

The night before Christmas in the enchanted forest was not unlike any other, but a chill froze the air that was unprecedented at the time. A wild storm, the largest blizzard that had ever existed in the world of kings, dragons, and witches now blew in the forest. It froze the air around it and the breath of every living thing, covered the land in heavy snowfall, and turned the entire kingdom white with it's wintery wiles. Any living thing that was out and about would be impossible to find and would find it impossible to survive or wander…except one creature, one poor, unfortunate creature. It was a very small girl. She looked very much like a young teen…except for the fact that she was the size of a toddler. She was pale, small, and skinny in appearance, looking more of a stray animal than a human being. Her brownish red hair flew in all directions and her grey eyes were dull and clouded, one eye showing blindness from it's milky complexion. Her frame shook with every single movement. Her makeshift buckskin and wolfskin clothing clung to her, the rags sticking to the blood of a rib wound…or was it several? She was so damaged that it was hard to tell. Her leg was also bleeding heavily, a wound inflicted by the wolf whose fur she wore. It was all dark for her now, and there was nowhere left for her to run or hide. Everything was both exposed and hidden by this dreaded blizzard. No doubt, her majesty was probably laughing her rear off somewhere at her situation….Regina had put her there herself. The child had been chased, tortured, belittled, and made ill by the hands of the evil queen herself…and to her, she was very…special prey. With no knowledge of a family, the little thing somehow had survived on her own in the wilderness…but all things must come to an end. Running any longer was impossible, and known to her now, a disease was spreading through her body like wildfire, and a curse was already infecting her blood. Soon, she was unable to take another step. One limb fell after the other, first her legs, then her body, and then her arms. Before she knew it, the nameless wild child had sank into the snow. The cold stung her body as she looked up to the cloudy heavens. There was only one star to wish upon, and it was too faint for her to see. There was no other option but to prepare for what she had been expecting since the day she was born, and what she thought was her fate. She thought back on her short life….there wasn't much too it except her memories of injury and hurt from humans, her only fond memories being with the herd of horses that she used to travel with. She could only faintly remember what it felt like to turn into one…which is the way by which she survived. This was one situation in which she could no longer run from or fight. Having enough strength only to cross her arms over her chest, she closed her eyes, let the darkness and cold surround her, and just waited, shedding freezing tears.

The beast strode through the blizzard alone as he usually did. He could have teleported himself back to his castle, and yet he chose to go out in this night of all nights. Perhaps his castle was just as cold and empty in itself as this storm was. He could have sworn he had heard the sound of Belle's anguished cries in his dungeon earlier…yet that was long gone. Too much spinning, he told himself, if there ever was such a thing. Growling at the freezing air, a shiver ran down his spine. He had sworn that he could feel something pulling him to be out here, a cause of him wandering the wretchedly cold landscape. Looking around, nervous for some reason, he conjured up a fireball in his hand. "Snap out of it, you old fool…" he scolded himself and then started to turn back to saunter back into his castle…a mere twenty feet from where he was, when all of the sudden, a sound in which he had not heard in centuries could be audible in the roaring storm…the sound of a child crying. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him once again when he heard it coming to him again…louder and even more heartbreaking and helpless. Before he knew it, he arrived at the tiny, frail body of the young girl covered in snow, crying out helplessly for a second chance at life. That crying sounded exactly like Belle's, and he recognized it well…the sound of a heartbroken, defeated soul begging the heavens, desperate for a second chance, broken from the cruelty of another person. Any other person, he would have left for dead…but never a child. It would be like leaving Bae all over again, and it appeared as if she had suffered the same fate as him at someone else's cowardly, cruel hands. Shaking his head in disgust at what might have caused her to be here, he flipped her over to examine her. His body grew even more cold and somewhat squeamish as he saw such deep wounds…on a child. He gasped at how thin and frail she seemed, at all the blood, snow, and tears soaking her makeshift clothing. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes for a moment. He could have left her here, as the girl obviously had very little chance at life to begin with…or he could heal her and give her a place to live out her days. As far as he could tell, she had earned it. He nodded to himself, and not wasting a moment, he grabbed her and disappeared out of the storm and into the laboratory of his castle. He lay her down on a workbench, sweeping away the instruments of torture that had been used on the dark castle's last "guest". As the child continued to cry, he awkwardly stroked her hair and muttered "Shhhh…", not knowing how else to settle her. It had been centuries since a child was in his care. One thing was for sure, he had to heal her straightaway, or she would not survive the night. And she had stopped crying…but it was replaced by the silence of her fainting. "Stay with me dearie…you'll be alright soon enough…" he sighed as he swept his hand over her frail body. However, what would usually work by magic in a matter of seconds was not working at all. His eyes twitched at his magic not working, and he shook his head in confusion. Eyes wide, he grabbed every potion off the shelf, everything he had, and muttered every spell he knew….nothing. The one time he chose to save someone like this, and it didn't work. He growled in frustration and knocked over all the bottles with a sweep of his hand "Bloody hell!" he cursed and took a deep breath, frantically running his fingers through his hair. The best option for her now was to do something the old fashioned way, but it had to be something quick. It didn't seem like she could take much more of her wounds being exposed along with the rest of her body. At least he could conjure up a few things that would help the situation…a fresh nightgown, bandages, blankets, and a needle and thread to bind the wounds. Working feverishly, he winced as he bound the wounds, stitching her up like a torn up doll. It was said that Rumplestiltskin could practically bathe in blood judging by the severity of punishment in which he subjected bad debtors, but all the sudden the very sight of blood…her blood…made him light headed. It was at least a few hours into the night before what he could do for her was done. Looking at her sleeping in the pale light of a candle, he stared at her reddish brown hair and broken body. He could not tell what it was, but there was a connection he had with this child…this poor, unfortunate soul who looked so much like Belle…and so much like him.


	2. Chapter 2-Come Into The Light

Chapter Two

"Come Into The Light..."

Having no other place to put her, he had no choice but to build, by hand, a small bed by the spinning wheel, in which he placed the shivering girl. As he slowly lowered her in, he looked at her weak form…she was so small and defenseless…and it dawned upon him that when she awoke, that she would try to make a run for it right away as he looked at his reflection in the goblet of water that he had placed by her bed. How could she not be afraid of him? Such a small girl would surely run for the hills, even if she would hobble and leave a trail of blood halfway there. So, as he saw her coming to, he sent a fireball into the fireplace of that great room, and then moved his chair back to a less lighted area, ashamed at his monstrous appearance. Slowly, her slow groans and moans of awakening echoed throughout the castle halls. She let out a gasp of air and a slow, nagging cough as she awoke. Looking around her, it was all so blurry…but she could see the outlines of a large room….and that was strange to her. Not having lived inside before, the feeling of warmth was new to her too, along with the feeling of the bandages and the softness of the blankets. Everything to her was a new sensation….but the one that attracted her the most…was the light that was before her…and when her blurred vision cleared…she gasped in awe. This beautiful place…it might has well have been heaven to her, for it did seem that way. But as she felt the sensation of pain coursing through her veins, she knew she was alive…someway, somehow, she was alive. But how alive? As her endless groans filled the air, it soon formed into words. "ughh….where…am I…what is this place…." His raspy, yet soft and sad voice spoke from the darkness, from an outline of a figure in the shadows. "Somewhere safe and warm….my castle." He spoke softer than he would have with most people, yet audible enough so that she could hear him…if she could in fact, hear him at all. At the voice of another person, she tensed up, her mistrust in humans taking over. But first, she wanted to make sure that he wasn't a foe before going any further, eyeing the figure with her cloudy grey eyes. "wh..who are you…" her voice shook as she pinned her back against the bed, shaking in fear and pain herself. It wasn't fear of him that drove her to act this way…but fear of everything in general. All the girl had lived with was pain and fear. "come into the light…." She narrowed her eyes to his direction, trying to see him. The beast stood to his feet, slowly approaching the girl as if he were afraid of her. As she looked upon him, she saw that he was different from the other humans…he may have had different skin, but his smile was kind and caring….there was a warmth about him that drew her to him, even though his skin appeared to be cold. Instead of turning away in fear as she was expected to, she just looked up at him and watched him. He outstretched his hand towards her. "please…don't be frightened, dearie…" he spoke in a reassuring tone, as if he was taming a wild animal…and to a certain affect he was. She looked up at him doubtful for a second. She stretched her neck weakly forward, and then painfully sat up, leaning on the walking staff that she had been traveling with for heaven knows how long. Her dull, glazed over eyes looked at him with a pained expression, almost unsure. He kept his hand outstretched just the same, bending down to the small girl's eye level. "I'm not going to hurt you…." Her eyes widened in not being sure of what he was doing, for no one had ever shown the poor creature kindness. Tenatively, she sniffed his hand, and for once, she was unafraid. It was as if she were smelling her own scent, it was strangely familiar to her. He had long nails, just as she did. He inched a little closer at a time and so did she, until he was able to sit beside the bed with her. Crossing one leg over the other, the imp looked at her with a curious look and a tilt of his head to one side, for he was curious about this girl. And quite frankly, he was disgusted that anyone could actually leave a child…something that he had longed for and wished every day that he would get the second chance to be a father…alone, scared, cold, fending for herself, starving, and sick. "Now my dear…what were you doing all alone out there…" she looked up at him and gulped, not knowing what to say. Her whole life she had been alone…and she didn't know what else to tell him…so she told him the truth. As horrible as it was…she had to tell him everything. For she felt she could, for his eyes gazed upon her so gently and with so much pity on her poor soul. So the girl began her sorrowful tale.

The last she could remember, she was apparently born in the wilderness, or abandoned there, something along that order. All she had remembered was that her bed was always the grass or the cold hard ground, and her only light was the sun and the stars and the lonely glow of the moon. She hadn't remembered a childhood…for as far as she thought she was an animal just like the herds in which she traveled with. Sometimes literally, for as long as she could remember, this mysterious, yet ill child had had powers that she couldn't explain, or even identify or control. There were times when this wild girl would shape shift into a horse and bolt, for she had remembered always having that ability. And she had always had the ability to make water move to her will, apparently having much control over that element. And it was necessary for the girl's survival, for there were many times that she had done that to escape one fearsome enemy in particular: the evil queen. She had spent most of her life up until now running from her, either in horse or human form. For no reason, the queen seemed to hunt her, taunt her, and torture her, for something that she didn't do. And yet there were other enemies still…horse thieves looking to cut her herd of horses and livestock that she traveled with, other cruel humans, and also hunters of the non human kind as well. The wolves had hobbled her, wounding her for life in one leg. Regina, of course, saw nothing but to take advantage of this. And so the girl was reduced to a fate very similar to the man before her before he had his powers….she was a cripple who had been kicked in the ribs and tasted the leather of Regina's boots far too many times. And eventually, all this suffering had made her sick…sicker than anyone the world had ever seen. And she could only get worse. Before she had been able to walk, but only with the walking staff that had come into the castle with her. Her only friend was a domesticated fox named Ruibin, which was now curled up near the fireplace. And then, it hit. The worst snow storm that the enchanted forest had ever seen had started to hit it with such fury as to knock the girl to the ground…and she had thought she was never going to get up again.

"So…that's…what happened to me…." Rumple could feel his heart aching with every single word for some reason. He had no responsibility or relation to this girl(as far as he could tell…) but somehow his heart broke a little more with every sentence of her tragic tale. For one, she was just like him in some aspects…even the same leg and rib wounds. But unfortunately for this girl, there was no way out. He immediately, as if on instinct, squeezed her hand. "I am so sorry child…but…it doesn't have to be that way any longer…". As she felt the touch on her hands, she tensed at first and then relaxed a little, trying to get used to human contact. For it did feel rather nice to have someone actually comfort her for a change…or at least treat her like a person. She looked up at him with her brown eyes full of uncertainty. "What..what are you talking about?" for to her, she was beyond all hope. "I mean…you can stay here….if you want…"


	3. Chapter 3-The First Night

Chapter 3

The First Night

The girl didn't know what to think now. She had never received a kind word from anyone or anything before, and yet this man, when gazing upon her frail, useless, nearly non-existent form was not only willing to give her what she needed, but also willing to let the stray, wild girl stay in his castle with him. There had been so many lonely nights out in the wilderness when she had looked up at the stars and wished upon the largest for something she craved much more then food or water or even a nice warm place to put herself up for the night, or the cure for an advancing disease…she had wished for another person to love her…particularly love her as their child. Even the slightest show of affection would be good enough. It was enough for her just now, with him holding her snow white hand and willing to listen to her sorrowful tale without turning away from her and giving up on her. This man….this wonderful man…was giving her what she needed most: another chance. And all she had to do now was to give him, as another person, a second chance in return. The human race had done nothing short but slowly and painfully wipe her off the face of the earth, like some unwanted species that had to be contained for society's sake. Needless to say, the thought of someone being kind to her like this was almost alien in concept. She stared at him in disbelief, but couldn't help the smile that was starting to form on her face. She could feel her once wounded heart healing from within her, just a little at a time, as a warm feeling spread across her cold body. "what…what are you saying…." She drawled as he tentatively came closer to her, not wanting to scare her or startle her. "Dearie…what I'm saying…is that this is your home now…if you should want it…" he looked away a little, almost afraid of her answer. He was afraid that she would never accept him…and that she would never want to live with a monster such as him. For she looked so small and defenseless that he couldn't blame her for not wanting to stay with him…but there was something different about this one. When he touched her, she didn't shudder at his claws. She never recoiled in fear when she was around him, and seemed even unafraid of him in the first place. But he would feel a wave of relief hit him as she gave a smile that was bigger and brighter than anything that he could ever imagine. Her brown eyes started to water with happy tears "Oh thank you….thank you so much!" In a flash and much to his surprise, the unnaturally tiny girl clutched the walking staff that was near her and slowly and painfully, started to walk towards him. But before he could even bend down, she had instantly hugged his legs and leaned against him, bracing her pained body against his legs. For the first time in her life, she had a smile…a real, genuine smile. She had a reason to smile now…for she was getting a whole new chance of life. It was almost as if she had trusted him immediately, and as if she had trusted humans all of her life. She cried out happily as she let the tears of pure joy fall unto his leather boots. "Thank you…thank you so much Mr….." she blushed a little realizing that she had not asked his name yet and he shook his head and smiled down at her "Rumplestiltskin…at your service, my lady…" he bowed playfully and then lowered himself down a little so he could be closer to her. Then he stared into those cloudy amber eyes of hers, noticing that she must have been half blind in one of them. "and you are?" he asked with a smile on his own toothy faced grin. She blushed again and bowed her head in embarrassment a little, since she had none. She didn't say anything, but he could tell just by instinct what the problem was. "oh…well then we'll just have to give you one, won't we…" he helped her back to the bed, noticing the painful stumbling that existed in her gait. Encouraging her to lay down again, he started walking around the room. He put his finger to his chin as he thought about it, looking at the girl cautiously. He above all people knew that a name could always define a person, and so if he was given the responsibility of naming this girl, he knew that he had better be careful in choosing one. "hmmm…" he hummed as he tapped his finger on his chin a little. He then looked at her once more before calling out a suggestion "Margie? Hmm…no…you don't look like one…" he continued to study the girl's features. Her frame was gaunt, but she had the most beautiful brown eyes and brown hair that he had ever seen, and that hair was almost a painful reminder of his Belle. And she was so tiny too…he came up to about his knee, if he was lucky. She probably came up to his shin in height, in all actuality. "Verna?" he suggested once more. This was a long night coming….and that name sounded horrible.

A few hours had gone by, and as the time went, he still couldn't decide on a name. She had fallen asleep, but her labored breathing could still be heard whistling throughout the castle halls like a storm wind blowing harshly through the trees. But, he was drawn to her when he heard her wake up and start to cry and whimper helplessly as she felt new found pain and the discomfort of itching old bandages run through her and grip her. His eyes couldn't help but soften…and even…water up a bit as he stared at her. "My gods, girl…." He drawled as he approached her and sat by her bed, and at once she reached for his hand again. Her whole life, she had never felt safe enough to cry or really show any emotion…for it showed weakness to predators all around her. But now? Forget it…every tear that she never shed flew from her eyes as she clung to his side, weeping into his leathery crocodile skin patterned suit. He, as if by instinct, began to whisper to her to attempt to at least calm her down "shhh…it's alright…it's going to be alright…you're safe now…" he then realized that her bandages probably needed to be changed, for he noticed the small outline of the blood now shadowing the old bandage. "I'm going to need you to hold still, alright?" she nodded with tears flowing from her eyes. He hovered over her protectively and looked into her eyes to make her feel safe and have something to concentrate on to get her through the pain, so he gazed into her eyes with his amber eyes. His nimble fingers worked efficiently as he undid the bandages she had on and gently cleansed her open wounds, still shuddering at how painful they must have felt. She clung to the sheets from the stinging but focused on his eyes, for neither one of them knew it but they were bonding in this moment. He had replaced the bandages softly…and he was so gentle with her…a rare thing to be seen in the dark one. She was still crying, though not as much when it was over with, the pain and grief of all those years of suffering finally catching up to her. His eyes seemed to soften even more and then…at this point the parental instinct started to kick in. He at once scooped the girl up like a china doll, holding her in his leather clad golden arms as if she was a baby. And that's all she was to him…not a wild animal but an innocent, sweet child who had been taken advantage of and mistreated. On blind instinct alone, he started to softly sing a lullabye that slowly came into his head:

"_Come stop your crying it'll be alright,_

_Just take my hand, and hold it tight,_

_I will protect you from all around you,_

_I will be here, don't you cry…" _

And instinct was turned on for her too as she slowly started to relax in his arms, for she had tensed at first, not used to human contact, but it felt wonderful to her to feel this sort of closeness. As she started to snuggle into his chest instinctively and out of affection, he started to rock her a little bit and sing some more, yet quietly so only she and him could hear it.

_"For one so small, you seem so strong,_

_My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm,_

_This bond between us can't be broken, _

_I will be here don't you cry._

_You'll be in my heart, you'll be in my heart,_

_From this day on, now and forever more…"_

And in that moment, a bond had indeed started to form between the two, and as the imp glanced down at the shaking little body now snuggling into his chest, he told himself that she was truly a miracle, instead of a mistake as others saw her. And then….came the name. Belle had told him long ago what she would name a little girl if she ever had one. It meant "heaven's promise" and it was definitely true in this case, for she was giving him a chance to love again. As he looked down at her with a tender gaze, he smiled. "I'm going to call you…Elizabeth…."


	4. Chapter 4-A Prophecy

Chapter 4

A Prophecy

As he watched her sleep that night, he could still hear her breathing…it was so labored, as if every breath hurt her…which it probably did. Normally at this hour, he would be spinning, but he had a feeling that watching the wheel tonight wouldn't help him forget all of the horror and the wonder that he had taken in tonight. He would give anything, anything at all for another chance at being a father. Since he had lost Bae, losing him to his cowardice and lust for power, the thought haunted him like a shadow of what could have been. Like many nights, there would be no sleeping for the imp tonight. Most he could never, for dreams and memories of his shadows of his long and weary path haunted him, beckoning him to madness. Being an immortal, he could luckily avoid sleep, but there was a part of him that was still human and need the sleep. Most of those lonely nights were spent by the wheel as the snow, wind, or rain of the mountains blew across the formidable walls of his fortress, the only other sound being the creaking of the wheel. Now it was different, for even though the girl was sleeping it actually felt like he was no longer alone. He decided to watch her sleep, and while doing so, his darker side was melting away for this girl little by little. Any other person would have been left for dead, or even taken prisoner by this creature, but not her. Seeing something that had been treated so horridly disgusted him and further slandered his taste for humanity. How could anyone do such a thing, he thought, leaving a crippled girl who was no bigger than a medium sized dog fend for herself out among the beasts and dangers of the enchanted forest? The thought of what had been done to her tore at his darkened soul, and something deep within him just wanted to grab her and kiss her all over like a mother would their child and tell her how beautiful she was and what a good little thing she was. He wanted to give her the life that he could not give his son, and he now wanted this child as his very own. In all truth, he had been thinking night and day about getting another through a deal, one that was healthy and worth his end of the deal. No one though, expected him to actually adopt one that was so broken. In his mind, though, it was a much different story, for he had been broken much himself, and now he was an all powerful dark one, capable of doing anything that he wanted to. Sometimes he couldn't even look at her because the sight was so heartbreaking, his darker side still leading Rumple away from doing the right thing. But as he gazed down at the little bundle wrapped in tattered sheepskin, buckskin, and cattle skin clothing which clearly was made by her own hands, spotted with dried blood, sweat, and tears, it made him want to give her more than she could imagine. The girl was actually quite beautiful, and even reminded him of Belle, for her hair was reddish brown and she seemed to emulate that she had the potential to love everyone with every bit of care in her heart…only if she was loved in return. Yet, bittersweet and strange indeed, she looked eerily like him in her facial features and in those amber colored eyes of hers. In fact, she looked like a complete mix between the two. It warmed his heart and had broken it at the same time, for it only reminded him of what could have been…this would be their child if they had started a family together. He shook his head at the garments that she was wearing, for he couldn't magically dress her since magic had absolutely no effect on her, but in the morning he would try to draw a bath for her and magic up much more comfortable and much finer clothing then what she was used to. For if this was going to be his second chance at somewhat of a fatherhood, he would never let his new little girl dress in rags. She was going to have the finest of everything, he told himself, for she had the potential of being the dark one's daughter after all. Even though with every hard breath, you could tell that she could be beyond saving, he had high hopes for her. He saw that look in her eyes when she had held eye contact with him for the first time. Underneath their cloudy surface he could see the distant fighting spirit of a champion deep inside her soul, and he could feel that same wild spirit emulating from deep within her. It made complete sense to her that she could turn into a horse, for he could see that her spirit could not be contained by any disease. "my gods…." He drawled as he just stared at her in wonder, wondering how she had come so far to begin with. Her ribs could be seen clearly throughout the roughly hewn clothing, but something else could be seen as well. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, for it looked like some sort of a pinkish glow was coming from her sleeve. Being careful not to disturb her from her sleep, for she seemed as if she had not slept in years, he slid what was in there out from it's buckskin cloak. He blinked when he lifted the object up. It was a rose….a glowing rose. And it seemed to be wilting. He held it just as tenderly as he had held both her and the chipped cup that he had been pining over every night since Belle had disappeared. He closed his eyes and concentrated, for he could always tell what a magical item was for just by seeking deep within and finding the answer, and suddenly, through the whisper of the wind brought to him a prophecy whose words echoed into his very soul, and it was addressed not to him, but to the girl.

_"Your journey will be hard and long,_

_Sadder than the widow's song,_

_And unless you accept your destiny on high,_

_On the last petal's wilting, you will die…" _

His eyes shot open in horror at that last verse, nearly dropping the rose on the floor. He now realized that if something was not done, it would only be a matter of time before…no, he couldn't think about it. He could see it now though, as he just looked at her. Deep down, he knew that her chance of survival was slim to say the least. With shaking hands and wide eyes, he moved towards an empty table that had no other item of power, importance, or beauty on it. He managed to magic up a glass dome to protect the rose, which now was carefully preserved on the table's marble surface. He shuddered, not wanting to think about what was going to happen to her. And as he thought about something else, another prophecy that a seer had told him long ago had come into mind, and his eyes were once again wide…

"_There will be a girl and a boy…the boy will be your undoing….and the girl will be your salvation…" _

Could this foundling be the one the prophecy was speaking of? Could she be the one meant to save him from the darkness and at least give him human emotion again? It certainly made sense, for that was all she caused him to feel was emotions that he had been dead to since long ago. And yet another sleepless night went by, as he pondered over all of this. And such would be the start of many sleepless nights to come and many worried days to follow.


	5. Chapter 5-Home

Chapter 5

Home

The next few days would be the most volatile for the both of them. As delicate and as pained as Elizabeth looked, she had that riled up free spirit that couldn't stand to lie still. Moving along with her walking staff, he noticed her getting into everything in sight. Sometimes he couldn't help but smirk and feel a bit of pride at her efforts, for she was trying so hard…and every single time she walked, even with those crutches he could tell that the pain was increasing by the minute. He saw the twist in her face whenever she moved, and his heart wrenched in response at the sight. He kept encouraging her just the same. Elizabeth was unaware at the pain and clearly ignoring the fact that she was getting worse. She had nothing but a huge grin all the day long, her heart healing rapidly, unlike the rest of her body. She had never lived in an enchanted castle before, or inside. So scuttling around on her crutches, she was inching her way around the halls, exploring no matter what the pain might hold for her. Because of this, Rumple had to either watch her closely or do something else to ensure her safety. Before she got up again after falling into his arms when he helped her walk, he brought out a little bell tied onto a blue ribbon, kneeling down on the ground beside her. "dearie…this'll alert me when you're in trouble…" he whispered, for he always seemed to speak in his softest tone of voice with her. He still wanted to get her to come to him and to trust him, which clearly, she already did. But Rumple was a very critical man when it came to looking at himself. She herself had felt comfortable calling him "Rumple" now, and had never heard his name spoken in such a gentle voice before. "okay mister Rumple…" she smiled obediently up at him and then painfully and shakily stood up on her crutches, then scurried off into the great room. Something she always wanted to do if she ever had the chance to be inside a house was to test her echo, like she had done in the mountains. And all he could do was smile when she let our her weak echo, which sounded like a wolf cub claiming it's first territory, ring through the castle walls. "that's it girl…" he murmured to himself, glad that she was adjusting to her new surroundings. For some reason, she knew how to navigate this castle and always would somehow end up coming back to where he was. He had a feeling that he was her safety zone, that person that she could always go to when he felt too weak and any space near him was the place where she felt the safest. And if she got scared of a random noise, she always had the option of hiding behind him. Elizabeth always seemed to be spooked by the smallest things. Perhaps it was an echo from her past in the wilderness, persuading her to look out for the most suspicious or the least suspicious, and to her, everything was suspicious, except for him. He was just about the only thing he was sure of and was the only person whom she had ever trusted. And when she went for another fall, he was the first to appear behind and catch her with his protective hands, holding her up and hugging her tightly to his chest. All the same, he tried to let her explore as much as possible. For the longest time, she had to be responsible and look out for herself…and now…she just needed to learn how to be a kid again. And illness wasn't all he saw in her, for he looked past that to see the champion within. There were so many wonderful attributes to this girl that she seemed to take for granted…or just maybe there was no one in the past to show her that she was special before. He took note that she loved to read as well. Among the very little amount of items that she had brought in her satchel, was an old, weathered copy of _The Odyssey _which he noticed her reading constantly. It was bittersweet, for it amazed him just the same how she had taught herself how to read, but it also reminded him of Belle. And what's more, she seemed to have an odd ability for reading ancient languages just as she did. She had that same look in her dull eyes when she read…that excited look of a pirate who had just found a map or a herder that had just purchased some prospective summer breeding stock. It was the exciting look that she used to get on her face whenever a new book waited for her, like a new adventure waiting to happen.

He also took care of her basic needs, or at least tried to. He had gotten rid of those old rags that she was dressed in, stained with her blood, sweat, and tears, and put it in a box, labeling it DECEMBER 24 and locking it away in the west wing. At the time, she had been well enough to bathe herself, but the feeling of being clean was alien. What also felt strange and wonderful at the same time were the clothes that he had conjured for her. It was a soft blue satin gown with a matching ribbon in her hair. The fabric felt softer than anything that she had ever felt against her skin. When Elizabeth got tired, she would lay by her new guardian on the windowsill in the great room while he spun gold. She mostly slept when he was spinning, so she hadn't asked him about it yet. Having magical powers of her own, they understood each other now, though she hadn't used a drop of magic since her fall in the snow, too afraid to do so. Needless to say, life at the dark castle for the first day or two was a huge adjustment. In her eyes though, it was nowhere near dark, but the most beautiful place that she had ever crossed paths upon. The mountains made the sky look as if it could go on forever, and the air provided much easier for her failing lungs up here. And the most surprising part, especially to him, was that she would actually seek affection from him. By the looks of her, he could tell that she had been without it. It took such a simple thing as a smile, or a touch of his hand, or even saying her name softly once in a while to encourage her to come to him to make her feel more at ease. And it was strange to him as well, for he could conjure anything she desired, but the thing she wanted most was attention and love. That thought warmed his heart some. And he was more than grateful that she never bothered him during his work, so he didn't mind her settling closer to him to give herself comfort. In fact, he liked having the presence of a child around him again. It had reminded him of Bae. It made his day a little less lonely and hers as well. She found herself not being able to fall asleep until he was holding her hand, which he would absentmindedly do as he spun by her little bed. All seemed to be going well, but she was getting worse by the day, and that could be clearly seen. And what happened three days after she came home would turn the imp's life upside down. And it had been expected that something was about to happen…for she seemed so restless, as if she were being surrounded by some cage like an animal. And he knew that something awful was coming….for the rose in the glass case was wilting far faster than had been expected by him. Like her own disease, the wolves of the mountains sent up an eerie howl out of hunger to consume all that had come into their path. And Rumplestiltskin, the dark one himself, could do nothing but watch it consume her, as he had let the darkness consume him. But he now had a chance to lighten his black heart for good, and he was going to do everything in return to give this girl that one small sliver of hope of survival. Yet like a train at full speed, it was barreling right towards her…and there was no escape from it crippling her for good.


	6. Chapter 6-The Rose Wilts

Chapter 6

The Rose Wilts

There was nothing particularly foreboding about that sunny, yet eerily cold winter morning in the dark castle, for it started out just like any morning would there. Elizabeth, on the other hand, felt that it was quite different than expected already. She got up with more lethargy and reluctance than she usually did, as if she felt bricks on her back and shoulders weighing her down towards the bed with every effort. Sighing shakily, she shrugged it off as she usually did with everything else wrong with her. Rumplestiltskin had assured the poor girl that there was nothing wrong with her…that she was just different than everybody else. However, being different wasn't easy…and it was about to get much, much harder. And her morning routine started out the same…losing all of the contents that she had tried to keep down in her stomach, locking herself in the washroom for at least an hour. He had begged that she let him come in, even to the point of banging on the door out of worry, but she wept and insisted that she didn't want him to see her like this. After she finally left it and come back to lay down in the bed beside the spinning wheel where she usually spent most of her day, other than the library. There was no trying to walk for her today…and that concerned him most of all. She seemed to be restless, though, and kept circling the bed, as if she were waiting for hunters to come and take her away. She cast glances all around her, as if she was suspicious of even the space around her. She usually felt so safe near him, but she felt as if some sort of darkness was sneaking up on her…a fate so inescapable that even as a horse, she wouldn't be able to outrun it. The way in which she circled it had made her appear like one who was laying down to die. He never spun today either, but just cast nervous, worried glances over at her, scared for her. And her restlessness was only part of it that he knew. Every time she moved, she felt as if the world was spinning around her, as if the room was tilted. Her vision was even more glazed over and clouded than usual. Her chest felt so heavy today. Shivering, below her neck and sweating all over her head, her cold sweat seemed to chill and heat her entire body at the same time. It was like this all morning, and all through till the afternoon. He had been so concerned that he snapped at any dealer who dare come into the castle this morning. "I'm not dealing today, and leave at once!" was his greeting to any who dared come in, and then he would scurry back to the room with the girl. This had been the whole worried atmosphere until the afternoon…when it happened. She was leaning on the spinning wheel, her hand over her thin ribs. Her eyes were closed, unable to take the spinning of the room any longer. She was sweating coldly as her hearing could pick up nothing but an echo. "R…rumple…" she spoke softly and shakily, looking desperately over at him, near tears. Pain seemed to spread through her body that was worse than ever before. It ran through her veins like a river of fire, and burned over everything in which it passed. His eyes wide, he knelt down to her eye level and brushed a piece of hair out of her pale face. "my child…what's wrong…what's happening…" she shook like a leaf as she leaned on him now, clinging to his shirt. She felt the ground pulling her down…or perhaps it was the air pressure pushing her? Either way, that's what the feeling of the moment felt like. "I…I…I feel weird…." And in that sudden moment, seconds seemed to last milliseconds, and time moved like a bird of prey among the young girl's tiny, frail body. She sunk into the ground, into his arms and into the darkness of fainting. His screams of horror on the other hand, could be easily heard even from the fortress and into the very air surrounding the enchanted forest. "ELIZABETH!" All that he had witness happen to this poor girl was getting to the emotions in him that had been locked away so long ago, and all at once they were let free in a torrent of tears of worry and sorrow. What if she never woke up? What if he had in fact, failed to protect her? What if he had failed her like he had failed Bae? He could not let this happen…he could not let disease claim her. But for a few moments, he allowed himself to weep as he carried her to a much larger and more comfortable bed….his own.

It was hours before she had woken up again, and when she did, it was to a fate that was far too horrible for some words to describe. If one could imagine being trapped inside one's own body, this would be it. Even the light seemed to hurt her when she tried to open her eyes. The tiny, now even more fragile than anyone could possibly imagine child cried in response to too much stimulation. She tried to move her body more than once, but every time she did, a fresh wave of pain would move through her body like a violent wave upon a low shore. It knocked her like the river that she used to control with her powers, until she was drowning in agony, reaching out for his hand for comfort and for the need to be saved. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered as he sat by her side, taking her little hand in his. He rubbed the back of it, though it was so small that her hand could only hold on to a few fingers of his, which he readily gave to her to hold. As those tiny little fingers curled around his clawed golden ones, he looked at the wall with determination, straight ahead. No. Not this time. He was not going to lose another child. As he looked at the rose, almost all of it had wilted, but he wasn't going to let that daunt him any longer. His amber eyes flickered with promise and dedication. For that moment, he ignored the fact that he was the dark one. He ignored the fact that he was destined to ruin yet another relationship in his life, but unlike the others, this girl needed him right here, right now, to promise her. She needed a father, she needed a protector, and she needed a caretaker…and he would give her all of that and more, no matter how slim the chance of survival was or how dark he had allowed himself to supposedly become. "I will take care of you…" he promised her as he wiped away the stray tears that had fallen down her pale cheeks with his long, nimble fingers. "I promise you this Elizabeth…as long as you live…you will never be alone again." And with that, he pressed his forehead to hers. She opened her eyes slightly to see him now, as she instantly calmed down the second that she was told that. She really never had a stable life, and even though this life that she had now was more and more painful with each passing moment, she now had one just the same. And seeing her so helpless, he would get to do something that he hadn't been able to do in years…take care of a child. For Elizabeth was so helpless that she could just barely open her eyes, paralyzed from her pain, that the only thing he could think of now was take care of her….as if she were a baby. The notion had seeded in his mind, due to the fact that she was so tiny to begin with. And ability wise, she wasn't much different than a newborn. And as she was calmed back down to sleep again as he touched her face affectionately, he went over to the wheel, thinking of all of the things that he would have to magic up…for it had been so long that a child had been in his care…but he was once a father, and he had made up his mind. As he began to spin just out of wanting to do something with his hands as his thoughts filled with this, he murmured to himself. "I can do it again…I know I can…" And here was where his second chance at fatherhood really began…with that helpless little bundle asleep in his bed. But still…it had been a few hundred years at least. As he ran through his mind over and over the things that he would need and what he would need to do, he took a deep breath and went to his room to start to tend to her…this was going to be a long night indeed.


	7. Chapter 7-Baby Elizabeth

Chapter 7

Baby Elizabeth

As he looked over this whimpering, frail, barely alive little thing burrowed into the blankets on his bed, he took a deep breath just looking at her. Being a father was no strange concept to him, for he had raised Baelfire on his own, his mother being too ashamed to be around the town coward, or even felt too prideful to have brought his son into the world. He had both the mother and the father for that family, and he wondered if he could do the same all over again. After all, back then all he was, in the basic of terms, was a humble spinner with a crooked leg on his own, who was never spared from the ridicule of the god forsaken village in which he lived in. And he had lost his child to his own lust for power…and he swore that if he had gained the chance to be a father again, that she or he would never suffer the same fate. Just a few days ago, he had been no more than a warped, frustrated creature that sought pleasure in causing misery and mischief, with only his wheel to chase away the loneliness of an empty castle. Yet now, a flood of instinct long forgotten pumped into his blood, which felt to him as if the icy rivers inside of him were breaking apart and melting by the minute. The usual cold feeling that he had in his golden scaled body was no longer noticeable. He felt that dark part of him dying inside of him, it's dark whispers hushed by the onset of parental instinct. As he looked upon her, it was if Bae was still with him, and was sleeping in his cradle in the other room. He had a son, and now there was also a daughter…for that's how he viewed her, no matter what anybody said about her blood. His mind shut off as instinct took over, as soon as her weak cries echoed throughout his dusty old room. Her eyes were still closed, but she would open them a little once in a while, just to see him…just to bond with him and to make sure that he was still there. Seeing her cry out of pain like a newborn, a switch was turned on inside of him, like an old familiar voice, telling him exactly what to do. Without even thinking about it, he reached for her, gently and ever so carefully scooping her up into his arms. He looked down at her with tenderness, seeing her instantly calm down when she was in them. She always felt so safe and warm in his grasp, and she, like always when he had hugged her, snuggled right into his chest. He smiled softly now, with a soft smile that had not been on his lips for decades. "such a sweet girl…yes you are, aren't you?" he cooed softly. He had never even met anyone as loving as this before. Her affection seemed to have no end for him, and as he could already tell, she loved him so much. He began to think again about the care that he was supposed to provide for this tiny little life that he held in his flecked and clawed hands. Just like a baby, he told himself, and he began to realize that due to her inability to move, that going to the washroom was no longer an option. Smirking a little, he laid her down on the bed "just for a minute dear…" and she obediently listened to him, for she never gave him any trouble, even now. She was just grateful to be with him, and even though her pain was excruciating, she didn't care as long as she was with him and under his care. She ignored the pain as she looked up at him, keeping eye contact. And he was still amazed that she could look right into the eyes of this "monster" and not flinch. First, he changed out her bandages once again, which hopefully he could take off in another day or so. Since she was more sensitive this time, he did it softly and slowly, cleansing the wounds very gingerly. And when she felt the sting as she normally did, he kissed her forehead to soothe away her new tears. It always worked. Once that was settled, he now started on his next task with her. Now more than ever, he thanked his stars that he had magic to assist him. Waving his hand, he produced a cloth in it and started to put it on her as a diaper for her to wear. His nimble fingers were actually quite perfect for this sort of thing as he easily made some safety pins appear beside him to fasten it, being extra careful not to poke her. She knew that it would probably come to this, but the tiny girl blushed anyway, her face red with embarrassment. He couldn't help but stifle a giggle at that, for he had found it adorable. The imp wanted to do nothing but cradle her at that point….for how could someone so damaged and so abandoned be so innocent at the same time? And she apparently wanted the same thing, since she held her tiny little arms out to him….and at that point his heart just…melted. Instead of it's surface of stone, weathered and scarred from years of rejection and loss, there was now a human heart filled with warmth beating within the chest of the imp. And more was to come for them to bond.

There was also the matter of her nourishment…looking at her thin body with her ribs easily visible made him sad beyond belief. It hurt him that he, the dark one, could not even feed his own child properly. But there was light at the end of the tunnel. For all he had to remember was that Elizabeth was like a newborn now…and eating solid food, once again, was another thing that she could not do. Obviously, a liquid diet was necessary. Yet every time he tried a glass of something, she was so helpless at this point that she couldn't even bring herself to lap it up like a dog…for she had not lost those animal like tendencies that had been needed for just survival all of these years. But now, she could shed them, for she was no longer a wild beast, but a small, helpless child who needed constant attention and care. But as he was working on his lab, an idea suddenly came to his head while she was sleeping. If she had to be held and changed like a baby…why not feed her like one as well? It was the only practical solution that he could think of. Once again, he was thankful for the magic. He smirked as he looked over at her snoring gently in her little bed, shaking his head "I work for you now, don't I?" he teased in a soft, impish voice so that he wouldn't wake her up. Yet he wanted another child so badly that the imp would do anything to make her comfortable, for he was so afraid of failing her. After a few hours of experimentation he returned to her bedside with a glass baby bottle filled with liquid food in his hand and a towel over his shoulder. She looked up at him in confusion when he woke up, and he smiled and explained what he was doing. "I think I know how you can eat something sweetheart….come here…." She was not hesitant, and practically crawled her way into his arms before he lifted her up. He cradled her with her face looking right up at his, having her lay comfortably in his one arm, being careful to support her head. She tried to sit up, but failed as usual with pain jolting through her as a reminder and whimpered. "No no dear…." He softly said as he rubbed her back. "I'm going to do it…just rest my wee one…" he cooed in his high pitched, yet Scottish accented voice as he gently put the bottle's end in her mouth, waiting for her to start to feed. She was confused for a few minutes as she just looked up at him, but then instinct took her over in just the same way that he had been, for she had aged to fast to ever been fed like this or cared for, but she slowly figured out what to do. Seeing and feeling her start to suckle, he smiled and kept it held up so that she would not choke but still get it out. He had to urge her to slow down though, since she was so hungry from years upon years of having little to no food at all. He couldn't help but giggle at the scene. "Easy there, dearie…." The whole time she was doing this though…she looked right up into the eyes of him once more, for this was how she had built bonds with her herd when she was living in the wild…through eye contact. He was so relieved, for he saw no signs of nausea within her precious face. "good girl…" he repeated over and over in a soft, whispering, cooing tone of voice. They both seemed to be lost in their own little world together, as if nothing else mattered…and the bond was to grow even stronger with the first midnight feeding.


	8. Chapter 8-Papa

Chapter 9

"Papa"

It was midnight now at the dark castle, and a cold air blew through the windows. It tended to be drafty in the fortress on these days…but there was a new sort of warmth. It was once cold in feeling as well as temperature, for who could be comfortable living alone? Loneliness is like an icy winter wind…it fills the air with thoughts that could chill the human soul. And even though the air in the mountains was cold and bitter, it was no longer filled with the chill of loneliness. And the air in this moment in particular was filled with something else echoing throughout the halls that the master of this place had not heard in ages. It was the cries of his new child, wailing helplessly and sending her message to him in that manner. Even though there was not much need for him to sleep, he had fallen asleep at his spinning wheel tonight. It was much effort on his part to take care of a helpless child, since it had been at the very least hundreds of years since he had done it. Yet truth be told…he loved every minute of it. Hearing little Elizabeth's cries in his sleep however, awoke him in confusion for a moment. She had fallen asleep after her last feeding, which was her first, as most young babies did, but perhaps she needed another one? Or perhaps she needed to be changed? He had not done that with her as of yet….or perhaps she just needed comfort, for the pain in which the child felt was probably unbearable to say the least…which it was. It had felt like lightning pulsing through her bones and a river of fire flowing in her blood. Inability to speak had caused her to helplessly cry out of instinct to alert him. Groaning, he sat up and followed the echoes of the cries all the way back to his bedroom(in which he rarely slept, haunted by memories of Belle resting beside him one night in that very same room) in which she lay. She couldn't see him with her eyes, being that they were still closed, but she could smell him with her animal like instincts and hear his voice as he approached. "ehhhh….dearie…" he drawled a bit out of uncertainty as he started to lift her up into his arms. Even though his instinct was strong, they were both unprepared, him in uncertainty about what that crying meant, and her trying to tell him what she needed. Yet she was a bit calmer when she was being held by him, and buried her head into his chest, still whimpering. "shh…it's okay…" he whispered as he tried to figure out what was disturbing her besides the pain. He could not take the pain away, so he focused on the things he did to make her comfortable. Since she couldn't speak yet, he would have to figure out why she was crying on his own. The setting realization came into his head right now: that he was about to raise a sick, helpless child completely on his own. There would be no one to help the dark one with his baby. He pushed those thoughts right out of his mind, shaking his head. Alright, he told himself. No more daydreaming, for her crying was starting right up again, cries that were weaker and yet tore at his heart even more than Belle's dungeon cries had been long, long ago. "no no no! sweetheart no more tears…." He continued to shush her softly as he lay her down on the bed, near panicking, afraid that he had done something wrong already. Shaking his head, he checked her and realized she was, in fact, wet. "alright sweetheart, alright…" he cooed to the shaking little existence that was now looking up at him with tears in her multicolored eyes. "here we go…" he then started to change her slowly, blushing almost as much as her due to the fact that he was a little rusty in the parenting sense. It had taken a half hour, but he had finally figured out how to do it, holding eye contact with her the entire time to calm her. Her uneasiness and embarrassment faded away when he did that, for she had trusted him more than she had trusted anyone. He was the first person, in fact, that she had ever trusted. And these caretaking routines that he was going through with her only strengthened the bond that had seeded within their hearts and now was a strong root starting to grow deep within them both. After a while of his humming to help him concentrate and to fill the silence, he was finally done, thankfully being able to dispose of the dirty diaper by making it vanish into thin air. She immediately wanted to be back in his arms after that, and he couldn't help but smile at that. She obviously was so attached to the imp already….and he was just as attached to her. He immediately yet ever so gently lifted her up again, cradling her so that he could feed her from a comfortable position, both for him and for her. Smiling softly, he looked down at her a bit as she now half blindly looked up into his eyes. "you hungry?" he asked quietly, smiling kindly as he waved his hand, and in an instant, another bottle appeared in his free hand. And soon, she was nursing with ease once again. He sighed in relief that this had worked, that she was able to keep it down without throwing up. And there was no mess in feeding her either. As he sat down with her on the windowsill, putting his feet on the window frame, looking up at the stars as he hummed quietly to the little girl drinking from the bottle in his hand. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad at this whole fatherhood business, he thought. He looked down at her, finding her eyes stare right up into his. He had gotten so lost in their depth and in their color and in all their light that he had to be reminded by her nosing at the bottle for him to tip it. He giggled and smiled a little sheepishly, taken out of his reverie. "sorry dearie…" and soon, she had finally finished and leaned against him, for it always pained her even to do this, but hunger took over the brain when it was feeding time, and all other stimuli with exception for him was ignored for the sake of nourishment. Instinct had taken her just as much at it had him. After making the empty bottle vanish into thin air, he found her now looking up into his eyes once more. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to notice his magic…what she was really concentrated on was him.

Ever since he started caring for her, a theory had begun to form in the back of her mind whenever she looked at him. While living in the wilderness, she had heard children playing by the brook and calling their father's something…and she was more then ready to accept Rumplestiltskin as her new father. He would be her first family, and the first person that she would go to. She loved him so much, and as she looked up into the supposed "Beast"'s eyes, it could be clearly shown, even in her half blind vision. The world seemed to pause in this moment, and the winter wind held it's sharp breath as her weak little voice sent up a response to him that would echo in his mind, through this moment forever. "p…papa?" she inquired, looking up at him. His eyes widened at that and he drew a sharp breath. He thought of her as his daughter…but hearing her call him the same thing Bae used to…melted the rest of him that was still frozen. His heart melted right on the spot as he drawled out "wh..what?" "I can…call you that right?" Elizabeth, still being a bit on the timid side, was afraid of his reaction…and more then that, afraid of the reaction which she would get. Just as she was about to panic, he rocked her back and forth, happy tears starting to brew on the corners of his eyes. "yes…yes…" he repeated softly, whispering to her. "I am your papa now…" "you're my…papa…." She weakly repeated as she reached her little tiny hand up to touch his face, as if feeling his facial features kept her tethered to the world, as if to show that he was still there beside her, and that this wasn't all just a wonderful dream. She touched his nose weakly before setting her shaky hand directly on his golden flecked cheek. He inhaled, feeling her hand on his face. Closing his eyes for a moment, he suddenly realized that the feeling of fatherhood now was a reality. All these years, after all the deals he had made for another child, all of them unsuccessful, here she was, snuggled in his arms. He whispered in soothing tones to her, rocking her back and forth as he spoke softly "It's alright Elizabeth. Your papa's here…."


	9. Chapter 9-The Dark One's Princess

Chapter 9

The Dark One's Princess

Holding this frail, fragile existence in his arms, Rumplestiltskin looked down at her with utter affection, his eyes still lighting up in amazement whenever he looked at her…and he looked at her the same way in which a parent would look at a new baby, holding them the first time. It was definitely past midnight now, but he did not care. This was the moment he had been dreaming of for years…being able to hold another child that wouldn't recoil in fear from the sight of him. He didn't know what to do first…there was so much to be done knowing she now could be his. He wanted to give her everything…a rich life that he could not give his son. Not only would he give her the best of care but also the top of the line quality of everything else. This once wild stray would be treated like a princess…the dark one's princess. He couldn't have imagined what sort of welcome she had been given when she was first born…probably born right into the harsh cold wilderness, dumped there as soon as she was born(which in fact, she was), as if she wasn't worth fighting for or even naming. And she was worth it, and worth more to him now more than all of the treasures, both magical and not, that he had accumulated all of these years. She was born as a nobody before…but this was her second birth, a second chance to come into the world for the first time…not as a mangy wild girl with no name and no future but to desperately attempt to survive...no…she would be brought into the world again as the dark one's princess. She was so beautiful…so loving and kind and sweet…and such a little miracle that she deserved to have her greatness known once and for all. At once, he conjured a golden blanket to wrap the child in and did so, carefully tucking her frail body into the folds of it, swaddling her to make sure she would be warm. He then stood up, smiling down at her all that time as he made his way out on to the balcony of his room. Like him, it overlooked the rest of the enchanted forest, it's view extending so far as to assume that he was king of all he surveyed…the king of the deal, that was. The most powerful here were not those who were ruling in their high palaces by the sea…no…it was those who could manipulate the royals with their use of the magic arts who truly had control…and Rumplestiltskin was the most powerful man in that world…and probably in others as well. Looking out into the sky, black blue and dotted with shining diamonds that were the stars, the moon bleaching out everything around it, he lifted his hand. As if appearing out of thin, dead air, what seemed to be a shooting star in the heavens exploded into the night. Fireworks…it was how things were announced among those in power, and this was no different. What else could you expect for the arrival of the princess of the deal? For so long, this castle had seen nothing but darkness, even on the full moon, it's light would barely shine upon it. And now color seemed to burst out into the atmosphere around it, painting it's dark surface with the shadow and glow of fireworks. It was said that night that no one in the enchanted forest could sleep that it was such a large display. The residents knew who lived there….yet never imagined in an eternity that the dark one would send fireworks above his castle. Rumors would surely start to spread in the morning, yet he had no care for that now. All he cared was that she had been made known just like any other of royal birth. The haunting shadow of her illness could not even darken this moment…and yet a part of him still whispered Belle's name to him…and his longing for her to see this. He himself was amazed at what he had done above him, seeming to explode the stars into the night, until the entire sky above the dark castle was filled with color and light…things so unusual and rare to this fortress beforehand. Even the moon was drowned out by it. He held the child a bit higher in his arms to show her. "It's all for you my child…" he whispered to her.

Her own eyes were wide seeing this display, and her vision cleared up more than it ever had. Perhaps it was the pure tears of joy and love that brought her to be at least relieved of her blindness, or perhaps it was seeing color and light for the first time. Happy tears continued to flood them, spilling over her eyelids. In a span of a week, her life had completely changed. She had gone from a little nomadic herder with no name, scaling the dangerous mountains, valleys, and dense woods of the enchanted forest, being pulled on by an undeniable instinct to follow a river…that eventually led her to this life. In her old life, she had been treated as less than human. She had been kicked, whipped, thrown against trees, bitten, stoned, hit, shot at by arrows and many other torturous acts. Yet now, she would be treated like the total opposite. Instead of everyone looking down on her as if she were nothing, the balance of power had shifted to reveal her now as having power over them. She realized this, but her kind heart being so fair with mercy, she never thought once to send him after the ones who had mistreated her. Instead, she forgave them…she was above them now and above their evil. With all her years of travel, she had seen many evils. In fact, she knew how cruel the world could be above everything and everyone else, and yet she had also seen many heroes. She had heard of one heroine, Snow White, who had been running from the evil queen, just like her, for most of her life….and yet still forgave the black as night regal. Elizabeth wanted to be the same way with those who had shown her nothing but hatred. She was still afraid of people, but now forgave, in this moment, the human race as a whole for what they had done to her. She wanted to show most of all that she was no savage, and would show them the mercy that she was never shown before he had found her. She wanted everybody to have a second chance…for she believed it was a birthright of everyone to have a second chance. It was amazing to her how one moment could change your views, change your mind, and the rest of your life.

Eventually, the fireworks died down as the night grew in age. Eventually, it was near twilight, and the new little princess fell asleep after another feeding and change before she did. Rumple carefully carried her into the great room where his spinning wheel was set as usual, and he put her into the cradle like bed that he had conjured for her there. If there was one thing that he was grateful for now, he was grateful that he had the power to do that sort of thing. He soon started spinning, carefully rocking the cradle with his other hand as he spun with his right. He had done the two actions almost in rhythm with each other, and soon became lost in his own thoughts, looking over to the tiny girl's sweet face as she slept. And then he looked back to that shadow of the chipped cup. Not a day went by that he wasn't reminded of the first princess who had ever lived here. If he adopted her while Belle was still with him, she would have become her mother. She would have been a wonderful mother too, he thought, and yet if either one of them only knew the truth about who Elizabeth really was…but for now, he instantly thought of her as their daughter, for she even looked like a mix between the two. "I wish your mummie was here to see you….she would have loved you…" he whispered to her while she was still asleep. He couldn't brood on this now, he thought as he tried to ignore the tear that was threatening to spill over his cheek, he still had a lot to do for Elizabeth. She needed a nursery here, but the first thing that he would do was to show her to the world, and to bring her outside. However, he was afraid to bring this fragile existence outside for fear of something happening to her on the health spectrum. Therefore, he would soon call upon two old friends, the best doctor that all of the realms had ever seen, to take a look at her and the man who would take them to him. He soon poofed out a letter and began to write, walking over to the table to do so. "Dear Jefferson, old friend, I'm in need of your services…"


	10. Chapter 10-Three Men and a Baby

Chapter 10

Three Men and a Baby

It had been a week since the new addition's arrival took place. Due to her oversensitivity to everything, light and sound included, Elizabeth spent her first week of her new life in his bed chamber. The experience had exhausted them both, and yet they were finally starting to get into a routine. The need for sleep though, was still pressing. Having to feed the little one every four hours meant that at times, he had to wake her up in order to nurse her. Yet, they had already started to form such a strong bond that they had synchronized their sleeping habits, and father and daughter would often be sleeping at the same time. The so called "beast" would lay the child in a basket beside him so that he would not be able to smother her, but she could still sleep in his bed safely. However, today was the day to begin venturing outside…outside the bedchamber, that is. He had planned to summon the Hatter to his castle, with Victor traveling with him. It wasn't that he did not trust Jefferson or Victor…all three had become friends and business partners. The issue was that he didn't think little Elizabeth was ready to even go outside to the garden, let alone travel through a portal. Portal jumping wasn't exactly possible with a helpless child who cried and shied away from something as small as strong sunlight. Quite frankly, the thought of bringing another child through a portal haunted him as well, memories of his son still taunting him. Venturing from the nest that he had made his bedroom into was enough for her, as the imp thought. While Elizabeth was sleeping, he got himself ready, dressing himself in his leather business suit in an instant. Soon after, Elizabeth woke up, and he was able to feed and change her before getting her dressed. He dressed the child in a checkered blue gingham dress, still leaving her reddish brown hair down. He was puzzled about her for a lot of things…but a huge mystery to him was that everything that he conjured up for her was blue, pink or white in color. Scooping little Elizabeth like the china doll that she was, who was smiling up at him happily now, he teleported into the great room. Elizabeth started to sniff the air and investigate at once, her little nose going a million miles a minute as she looked around the gigantic rose colored room. She flinched some at the bright light coming from the open curtains, but then recovered, becoming more and more curious of her surroundings. Waving his hand, he lit a fire in the rather large fireplace and waited for his motley crew of friends to arrive.

Before long, there they were. The castle doors swung open magically to reveal the doctor and the hatter. Jefferson was dressed in a black leather business outfit as always, his hat perched on his head with a satchel strapped to his chest. Victor was wearing what he usually wore in the lab, his bag clutched in his hands. The two looked at each other, puzzled for a moment before walking inside.

"What do you think he wants us for?" Victor inquired, hoping that the imp had told Jefferson something about their use today.

"I've no idea. All he said was that he wanted us to meet someone…"

The two looked at each other completely puzzled.

"He doesn't like anyone. Why would he ask us to meet someone? Perhaps it's a client of his?" Victor questioned, an eyebrow raised. Jefferson shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know. All I can say is that he really didn't sound like himself."

"We should go in. You know how he hates waiting, and I don't know about you, but I really don't feel like making him angry."

Jefferson smirked, shaking his head and adjusting his hat.

"Probably would be best. No need to give him any excuse."

"Hello gentleman…" Rumple cleared his throat with a grin as he appeared in the grey foyer, Elizabeth wrapped in his arms in a blanket. These two seemed to forget that their voices could ring through these castle walls like thunder…just like any other noise in this empty place.

"What took you so long, imp?" Jefferson teased with a grin as they both came forward to shake his hand. After they had shaken hands, Elizabeth positioned in one arm, they got down to business.

"You might be wondering why I called you here today…well…the reason is this…" he gestured to the little bundle in his arms, holding her out some so they could see her, and she could see them. Elizabeth's amber grey eyes scanned over them as she looked at them shyly. They were the first two people that she had seen since Rumple found her, and she was still a bit shy of people. Slowly and surely though, she got used to their presence. Something within her told her that they didn't intend to harm her in any way, shape, or form. The mouths of both of the men nearly dropped when he told them what had taken place in the past week. He was the last one, they expected, to actually want a family or adopt a child who took up so much of his time and needed constant attention. Had he finally lost his mind? However, they could see that the child had made him happy, so they didn't ask any questions.

"Er…cute kid…." Jefferson remarked, still looking at him puzzled.

"Interesting…I've never seen a medical condition like this in all my experience…" Victor studied his new potential patient and she studied him just as much, along with Jefferson. She looked into both of their eyes, outstretching her head a little to extend a friendly greeting to them. The girl was already starting to show very friendly, hospitable and sweet tendencies. Victor was just as interested as she was, for he truly had never seen anyone with such a condition…it was unknown to science, and in other words, unknown to him. And then something came into his head: she should have been long dead by now, based on the description. Perhaps it wasn't a scientific disease that was effecting her, but one of his "curses". However, he seemed to recall studies in the medical field about children who were born like this or became ill without cause all of the sudden, based on a bloodline caused illness known as "genetic disease". As the afternoon went on, three men talked, and Elizabeth listened to all of their voices, already starting to show affection for her new friends. She would even try to talk to them once in a while, even though her voice was slurred and weak and hard for her to accomplish. When she would speak, it would sound more like a baby cooing and trying to communicate. There was a time late in the afternoon when the three bad boys of the enchanted forest looked out the window, at an approaching storm. Travel would be impossible, even with the hat. Rumple, though, gladly obliged to let the two stay in the castle for a few more hours until the storm passed. At the exact same time that the storm brewed, Elizabeth started crying from pain. The imp sighed and tried to calm her down, rocking her and walking about the room. However, as the rain fell, she still cried, as if the two events were connected somehow.

"Gods, Rumple, she's been crying for an hour straight!" Jefferson groaned, while Victor tried to make sense of what was making her cry.

"Well, I don't know what to do! She can't help it…" there was desperation in his voice now, and as the rain fell harder, her crying got even louder.

"Perhaps she needs food?" Victor inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose I can try feeding her…" he was so frazzled that he couldn't even conjure the bottle, and needed to go upstairs to get it. He groaned and then looked down at Elizabeth, actually holding her out to Jefferson now. "Could you hold her?"

Jefferson blinked and made a face "Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me…"

"Just hold her!" he snapped and passed Elizabeth to Jefferson, who held her at arms length, not entirely sure what to do with her. "Who taught you how to hold a baby!?" Rumple growled and insisted that Jefferson held her to his chest, and she clung to him instantly.

As he teleported out of the room, Victor and Jefferson looked at each other as the child stopped crying, and the storm stopped. They both happened at the same time once more. The child looked up at both of them, and again an idea started to form in the back of her mind about these two. "U…uncle?" she asked weakly…inquiring about the both of them. Victor smiled and nodded, and Jefferson held her a little closer to him. Victor knew that they shouldn't get attached to her…but could not help it. She called them her uncles. From now on, they would be known to her as her "Uncle Jefferson" and her "Uncle Victor". And as Rumple came back into the room, bottle in hand, he smirked at the both of them….who was the soft one now? Of course, as always, no one could resist the charm and sweet nature of little Elizabeth.


	11. Chapter 11-Asleep At The Wheel

Chapter 11

Asleep At The Wheel

It would be a few weeks until Elizabeth would be able to finally go outside. Such time would be the chance to show her around the castle and spend quality time with her and to show her his life…what he did for a living, if you could call it that. Deals still needed to be struck, but he would meet no clients outside of the castle until she would be able to be outside with him. He may have found importance in his deals, but she now came first. Elizabeth needed his constant attention and care, to the point where he couldn't leave the room without her crying. Such happened when he had tried to go to his lab for a few moments to work while she was sleeping, but she, in her sleep, somehow managed to sense he was leaving the room. As he heard the child's helpless, needy whimpers, he sighed and went to her side. "Shh…baby girl…" he picked her up and cooed soothingly to her. From now on, there was no doubt that he had to hold her constantly from now on. Elizabeth's little strength that she had to stay alive relied on the comfort and contact that she got from Rumple. Like a premature baby, human contact and care gave her strength. He had already gotten quite used to getting up to tend to her and having to hold her constantly. Holding his little bundle of joy in his arms was just that…a joy. There was a feeling of happiness that crept into him whenever the little darling snuggled deeply into his chest. Needless to say, needing to be held wasn't just on her part…but his as well. He needed Elizabeth's presence, just as she needed him to ease her painful life and to give her the love and affection of a father that she had always wanted.

Yet, sometimes when the pain was more than she could bear, and that was when he showed her most of the castle. He found that the only thing that could soothe her or at least calm her down was to carry her around the castle halls, rocking her softly in his arms at the same time. His walking seemed to soothe her just by itself, being that he often pranced in movement rather than walked. He could do nothing for her pain but to provide her comfort and love, which he gave without a second thought. The imp could even be heard singing softly to the fragile child. He knew his singing wasn't the best in the world, far from it, but the dark one was trying desperately. His singing, as bad as it was, was perfect for calming the poor child's cries. After she would settle down somewhat he would kiss her forehead softly and then speak in a soft voice sweet nothings to her, about all the rare items in the castle around her. All the while, her tired, glazed over little eyes searched around her. Sometimes curiosity was almost enough to numb the pain.

And one night, he discovered how he could help her forget her pain, just as the same method had eased and helped him to forget his. When she began whimpering once again from her constant agony, he shushed her softly as he sat by the spinning wheel. As she focused her watery eyes on the wheel, as if by instinct, he spoke softly to her as he positioned her in one arm. "Just watch the wheel baby girl…" he cooed, pressing her lips to his hair. "Just watch what papa does…." She sniffed and nodded obediently, speaking softly back to him in her weak, babyish, slurred voice. "O…okay papa…." He thought for a moment how he would be able to spin with both his hands…without having to put her down. He then smiled as he set her slung in his jacket a bit. The small, helpless, tiny girl watched with wonder and amazement as he spun, turning the brittle straw into shimmering gold before her very eyes. She had never seen gold up close before with the exception of being held to her new father's golden skinned chest, and beforehand it was a distant myth to her. And her face…she got that same mesmerized look in her little amber eyes, as if she were in some sort of a trance…just like him. Even though it was in the middle of the night he kept spinning, still keeping her cradled in his grasp as he went. The only time he had stopped was when Elizabeth needed something, and even then he had managed to feed her and spin at the same time. He noticed how much more alert she seemed to be around everything now, even as she was feeding. Her eyes kept open all the way now and she gazed up into his eyes as she fed, fascinated with him and loving him so much that just looking into his eyes gave her comfort. He would speak to her as she fed, and sometimes would smirk and pull funny faces at her in his highly animated fashion. Most thought his mannerisms were just plain abnoxious…but Elizabeth laughed for the first time in her life when he had done that. This warmed his heart and made him giggle himself, beaming with pride. "I made you laugh…" he smiled softly and then started giggling again. "Nyeehaahaaha!"

She sometimes even managed to speak to him at times, no matter how difficult it was. That alone made him harbor tremendous respect for her. After changing her one last time before she grew tired, she fell asleep in his arms by the spinning wheel, listening to his soft, Scottish voice as he sang to her a lullabye that his mother once sang to him and that he once sang to Baelfire. Looking down and seeing her head now pressed right against his chest, the little thing now sucking her thumb, he smiled. He could not even bring himself to get up in fear of disturbing her, so instead kept spinning until his straw was completely gone. He would have to go into the village tomorrow. Considering that she obviously wasn't getting any better, it was time that she was reintroduced to the world. Yet, for now, they would both need their sleep...yet however much he tried…he could not find it in himself to rest. He kept on thinking about everything…everything that the motion of the wheel couldn't be made forgotten…Belle. He could remember all of the times that she spent by this very same spinning wheel, in fact, he was wearing the very same outfit he was now most of the time, at this very same time of the night, usually. He remembered all of the times they had tea here…and just talked. This is where their general dislike for one another turned slowly into love…which had ended in them both lying next to each other in his bedchamber. And now, instead of her, there was a little, sickly version of the beauty who suspiciously looked like both of them, and nursed milk from a bottle instead of drinking tea out of a chipped cup. As Elizabeth slept in his silken clad arms, held against his heart, he began to mumble into the air, as if speaking to his true love herself…as if she was still alive, staring right at the display stand that held the precious object. "Er…hello dearie…" he took a deep breath and sighed softly. "It's Rumple. Wherever you are, you may not be able to hear me…but I must tell you anyway. I have news…she has amber grey eyes, and strangely, she looks like a miniature version of you….she weighs around thirty pounds…she's so perfect, Belle….and…if you were here…you would have loved her and she would have loved you so much. Please darling….wherever you are, watch over her, I beg of you…she's very ill…" at this point, he bit his lip as tears welled in his eyes, threatening to spill over his eyelids. "I love you dear…and I always will…I'm so sorry, love…" with that, he sighed, angry at himself once more as he turned away from the cup. He stared at the wall, still rocking Elizabeth in the meantime, and soon gave into sleep, listening to the sound of Elizabeth's ragged breathing. A day full of adventure awaited them tomorrow…even if that adventure was going into the village to pick up straw to forget a lost love and who would have been her big brother.


	12. Chapter 12-Into The Open Air

Chapter 12

Into The Open Air

They both awoke that morning with the sun beaming through the windows in the great room. He groaned from the awkward position he slept in and she yawned cutely and gently as she awoke. He, as always, grinned like a Cheshire Cat when she awoke, seeing that adorable sleepy smile looking right up at him. "Morning dearie…" he cooed as he stroked her cheek with his fingertip. Little Elizabeth, purely on a reflex mouthed his finger slightly. It was the nerve damage in her body that had given her infantile reflexes as well, and although sad, he found it adorable. Many things about this child were bittersweet. She tried to speak to him again, her voice weak and slurred as always…but she was speaking…all the time. She couldn't say much, but every time he spoke she now tried to speak to him as well. "Are you hungry, Elizabeth?" he asked softly and with his signature toothy smile. "Uh…uh-huh…." She smiled sheepishly and blushed as her stomach growled. This was the great thing about having magic and having a child as well…it helped tremendously with the daily care. He made her bottle appear out of thin air in a cloud of purple smoke. He smiled down at her as she fed with ease and checked her while she was drinking. He smirked, seeing her blush cutely, a pinkish color creeping over her pale cheeks. "Does someone need a change, little girl?" he cooed and soon changed her after she had finished. He had gotten a blue dress out for her that was almost identical to the color of Belle's blue eyes, and of course, the little outfit could not be complete without little lace up leather boots that were nearly identical to his. He had to do a double take, for she looked like a miniature version of them both…and that both made him proud and scared him half to death. He wrapped the little girl up in a blanket, which was a lovely shade of pastel pink and grabbed his cloak to keep them both warm. Another great thing about being a single father and being able to practice magic…no need for a care bag, he thought with a slight smile as he went into the foyer, preparing to carry her out into the open air.

She looked tentatively at the large doors of the castle's entrance, just as nervous as he was. No one could really blame the child, either. The last time she had been in the outside world, it's only purpose, it seemed, was to destroy her. Yet all it took to ease her anticipation was his reassuring smile. His arms would provide a safe place to explore the world again, this time as the dark one's princess instead of a crippled wanderer. As he finally stepped out into the weak winter sunlight of mid-January, she blinked to adjust her eyes to it once more, and he watched her carefully to make sure that she was adjusting well. It took her a few minutes to see properly, but when she did, she looked around in sheer wonder. The world seemed so much different from before. The snow seemed beautiful and pure instead of dark and cold, the diamond like sparkle in the sunlight dazzling her amber grey little eyes. The air seemed soothing even, to her damaged lungs. Before, the air had seemed to choke her with every breath. A new perspective…a new life…suddenly made the world into a beautiful place instead of a death trap. Even the simplest things in nature seemed breathtaking to her now. He smiled, watching her, whispering as he walked "You'll be safe dearie…safe with me." The whole time in which he had walked down to the village below the mountain, every step taking him yards at a time, Elizabeth sniffed the air and looked all around her curiously. It was if she was seeing the world for the first time…and it was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen. However, that wasn't long lasting before she put her head right in his chest once more, for even the most beautiful snow was no distraction for her wanting his affection. He chuckled and kissed her head. "Love being in papa's arms, don't you?" With that, he finally sauntered into the village…yet this time attracting more than stares of fear.

The townsfolk looked at the beast strolling through their village…baffled. Fear crept into the little town as it usually did, yet now there was also the curiosity and shock that went along with it. They could do nothing but stare at the little bundle that the dark one was cradling. Whispers started to flow around the townsfolk like warm water in a current. "oh my gods…is that a child?!" one woman asked, clinging to her husband. He scoffed and shook his head. "Probably just some poor woman's baby he stole…" Another man brought up his own point "Bloody hell, for all we know, she could be another prisoner too…." The dressmaker sighed as she looked sadly at her wares "We all know what happens to people who cross him…our poor lady Belle…." As he heard all of these snide comments, he growled under his breath and held Elizabeth protectively to him, stomping through the once busy pathways. Wherever he went with her, there were frightened glances, curious stares, or vicious gossip. Clearly, they didn't know him and really had no life. He now knew why Belle wanted to travel so much…she had wanted so much more than this provincial life. He could never blame her for that. Sighing, he tried to forget of Belle, gave Elizabeth a kiss on the forehead to reassure her, and went on to get his straw.

While he was making his deal with the supplier, Elizabeth tried to tune out what they were saying about him…and about her. To her, it was mortifying to even think that he would keep her in the castle against her will, or even think of treating her badly. Rumplestiltskin was the first person that Elizabeth had ever trusted, and to her, he wasn't the beast, the dark one, the imp, or the monster….he was her father and her hero. No matter what, he would always be that to her, for she had a special love in her heart for him that she could never have with anyone else…a bond between the father and child that could never be broken. She was so offended by how they talked that the tiny girl glared at them herself, her glare looking nearly identical to that of the golden skinned man holding her. Finally, the gossip and snide comments became so pronounced that she could take it no longer. Courage…her mother's bravery…welled within the small girl's heart and soul, and some would later say that her eyes practically glowed when she suddenly, and quite bravely yelped out "Don't…talk about my…father that way!" Everyone's eyes went wide when she weakly blurted that out, and Rumple was so surprised himself that his eyes gleamed with pride and his heart swelled, a broad grin coming on his face. "Well, you heard the little lady….nyeahahaaahaa!" He cackled and grabbed the straw, continuing to walk. Towards mid afternoon, Elizabeth started to whimper once again to be fed. He knew how embarrassing this would be for her out in public, but her obvious dizziness and quivering lip persuaded him to stop and sit on a tree stump. He shushed the little thing softly as he waved his hand, a bottle appearing in it. Hiding her in her blanket so that she could no longer see the stares of the townsfolk and so she could nurse in peace, he began feeding her. As people just stared at him, he smirked and exclaimed in his high, childish voice "What's the matter dearies? Never seen a child eat before?" Giggling sarcastically at their small mindedness, he smiled proudly down at her and cooed to her just to annoy them even more. He enjoyed annoying them just as much as they enjoyed their gossip, and at the end of the day, he teleported himself and the tired little Lizzie back home, still smiling proudly at her. Oh, Belle would be so proud of her right now…probably just as proud as he was, he thought. The villagers, meanwhile, looked at each other dumbfounded "Father?" they gasped. And trust, rumors spread through that kingdom like wildfire…so much that eventually, it spread to all of the royals within a day's time. Quite quickly, word began to spread about Rumplestiltskin having another child. There was about a thousand different stories about him having a son, whom he had lost…but there was never mention of any daughter. Meanwhile, at the dark castle, he was rocking the child back and forth to sleep. He prayed that she would sleep now…for eventually he would have to admit to her the reason why all of those people went after him in such a way. Looking down at the child, he noticed that she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. Softly sighing, he prepared himself for what he was going to tell her if she asked….everything. Lying would get him nowhere. She had told him about her past…and now it was his turn. He would be completely honest with Elizabeth…and so he prepared himself and took a deep breath when the child asked. However, she was just looking up at him sleepily now, and he decided to get it over with. "Papa's going to tell you a bedtime story, dearie…" yet, what he would now tell her was his story….from coward, to dark one, to Belle…everything.


	13. Chapter 13-Bedtime Stories

Chapter 13

Bedtime Stories

Rumplestiltskin swallowed as he perched on his throne besides the fire. The throne itself was taken from a bad debt…and it suited him…the king of the deal. And as he looked into the eyes of his new little princess, he found that it was impossible to lie with her, and yet, he found it heartwrenching to tell her the truth. How could he tell this poor girl that her new father was a monster and a coward? It pained him to look down at that face, so innocent, and tell her anything. He shook his head to remind himself that he owed it to her for her to know the truth. For that was his greatest fear: that she would turn away from him and fear him once she knew the truth. In this moment, he was afraid of this tiny little angel…and more importantly, her reaction to what he had to say. He decided to tell it to her like a story, in the vague hopes that she would fall asleep in order for him to escape. Sighing and holding the little one to his chest, he spoke softly to her, telling her the story. And she interacted with him as well, much to his surprise.

"Once upon a time there was a quiet spinner who lived in an equally quiet village with his wife, Milah. One day, he enlisted in the ogre wars, for that was a great opportunity for men in those days…"

The little girl looked over at the spinning wheel and immediately made the connection, smiling up at him.

"Was that you, papa?"

He nodded and winked a little to keep her attention, and went back to his story.

"While getting ready to go into his first battle, he came upon a seer. A seer is someone who can see the future. Anyway, she told him that Milah was going to have a baby, but alas, his actions on the battle field the next day would leave the child fatherless…."

"So what…did he..do about it? Did…you listen to her, papa?"

He sighed "Of course I did. I would do the same for you, my love…" he tapped her nose affectionately before continuing. "Your papa was so scared that he injured himself in the leg in order to go home.." he placed his hand over Elizabeth's, which was now on that same leg wound on herself that was almost identical to his. She looked up at him still, this time with sympathy. She knew though, to let him finish it. "And Milah was very angry and disappointed with me."

Her eyes widened a bit. "Why?!" In Elizabeth's mind, she could never be disappointed with him. He was her hero.

He sighed softly "Because she thought I was a coward. And everyone else thought the same. But, all clouds have a silver lining, dearie, and that's when she handed your big brother to me for the first time." He sighed and stared out to the wall, just the very memory both lingering pleasantly and haunting him at the same time.

She smiled though, when she heard of having a brother. All she needed was her father, but she would have loved to have other siblings to play with too…even though she wouldn't be able to play all that much. "What was his name, papa?"

"His name…was Baelfire. And I did the same for him as I'm doing for you. Milah never wanted to help me take care of him as I do you." He stroked her hair and looked into her curious little eyes as he continued. "Five years passed, and one day after shearing sheep, I hobbled up to the door of my cottage to find one of the local women looking panicked. She alerted me that Milah had been taken captive..by pirates. And that was a lie, dearie…because, you see…Milah went with them willingly. She ran away from me and your brother because she was in love with a pirate." At this point, she clung to him closer to comfort him, nudging her head into his chest. "Another nine years passed, and your brother was fourteen. Back then, it was customary that on their fourteenth birthday, all boys and girls were drafted to the front lines…"

Her eyes widened once again "They made….kids fight too? Bae didn't have to fight…did he?"

"Luckily for us…he didn't…because your papa did something about it. I had met an old beggar who told me a fine tale…that if I possessed this magical dagger, I could take the powers of the dark one…and save my son on my own." To add effect for the story, he stood and took it's dagger from it's hiding place and showed it to her carefully…and her eyes stared at his name on it. "is..that where you got your powers?" she looked up at him, tilting her head. He nodded "Yes dear..that's exactly what happened." He then sighed, pulling her closer "your brother though, didn't think it was so good. And he was right to some extent…I acted horridly, dear…I had become ruthless, and I was turning more and more dark every day. But….I still promised Bae that I would give the power up if there was a way to do it safely." He pulled her right against his chest at this moment, not letting her go even for a minute, afraid that she would never speak to him again. "And I broke my deal with him. He had a way and never followed through…I let him go through a portal on his own…and since that night…I never saw him again…and..it was all my fault, Elizabeth…." He blinked in surprise as she clung closer to him, still snuggling into him…even more so, now. Clearly, she didn't care about his past…as long as he was here with her now. He sighed, blinking back his tears, and continued the story. "There was another lady that I met and taught magic too….her name was Cora…but unfortunately she had become so dark that she…never loved me in return…but then one day…I met the most beautiful lady that ever lived, and who I still love."

"What was her name, papa?" she looked up at him, her little amber grey eyes looking up at him with the utmost curiosity about the beautiful lady…and that made him crack a small smile.

"Her name was Belle. One day, Belle's kingdom was in trouble, and her father and I..made a deal. She agreed to go with me in exchange for my protection. She was to be my maid, cooking, cleaning, and laundering for me….and she was very brave to go with me. She also was once brave enough to let one of my prisoners go. She and I became very close…I felt as if I could trust her when I could trust no one else. Even when I was mean to her, she saw the best in me and made me admit I was wrong….but I pushed her away…and I didn't want to admit it at the time, but I loved her very much…even though she may have not loved me back…" He screwed his eyes shut to blink back tears.

"What..happened then, papa?"

"She….went to heaven."

It was at this point that Elizabeth began to cry along with him, sobbing silently into his chest. She didn't understand how they both could have suffered so much. The world was unfair, cold, selfish, and cruel. And in the end, she really couldn't blame him for all he had done…he had his reasons, and even though they were wrong reasons, he was only trying to protect himself and the ones he loved. He had made mistakes…but hadn't everybody? She may have need to be treated like a baby and had the mentality of one at times, but Elizabeth knew more than anyone alive that each person, no matter what they had done…deserved a second chance. And she truly believed that he deserved a second chance just as she had been given one herself, to live.

He played with her brownish reddish curls absentmindedly, and she looked up at him with sympathetic tears in her eyes as he continued "She would have brushed through your hair and play with it for hours…she would have dressed you in so many little outfits…" he smiled a little despite his heartbreak. "I would have never been able to hold you because she would have hogged you so much…" He rubbed her chin some, wiping away her tears and sighed, looking into them, a serious, yet tender look in his eyes. "Elizabeth…I've been mean to a lot of people…but I promise you this…I would never, ever, ever..hurt you…" She nodded and started crying out of happiness at his reassuring words of kindness. And now she wanted to let him know that she loved him..no matter what he had done. "papa….I…I…love you…." He already knew, but that was the first time she could say that to anyone without feeling rejected. He smiled and closed his eyes, letting out a storm of happy tears. "I…I love you too…" he hugged the child to him tightly and didn't let go…even when she had fallen asleep. He promised himself that in this moment…that he wasn't going to lose this one.


	14. Chapter 14-Waterworks

Chapter 14

Waterworks

He moved to the foyer a few hours later when Elizabeth had yet again woken up, perching himself on the table in the entrance way. He rocked the little girl in his arms before conjuring a bottle of milk to feed her with once again. "Here we go, sweet one…." He whispered soothingly and watched with a soft smile as she began to nurse. He then started to hum a little lullaby to keep little Elizabeth's attention as she fed. A few minutes into it, however, and he noticed that Elizabeth was getting fidgety all of the sudden and frowned with concern as she started to whimper lightly. The imp shushed her softly, rubbing her back thinking that she was in pain, and then checked her to see if she was wet…however, it was none of those things. Elizabeth sensed something that wasn't right in the air. Throughout her life in the wilderness, she had developed a sense of smell that was much sharper and more developed then the average human being…and she remembered who's scent was who. Something in the air was scaring her, and the imp frowned in confusion as he walked around the room with her, purring like a cat to soothe her. And as the castle doors suddenly swung open, it caused Rumple to turn his head and see the woman who had hunted the child in the first place, dressed in black from head to toe. He clutched Elizabeth protectively to him as she gave a cry of fright. He smirked at her, showing Elizabeth that she need not be afraid of her now that she was here with him. "Ah…Regina…what can I do for you…your majesty?" the last two words came out with a hint of contempt. Because of what he had done to his new daughter, he had no interest in dealing with her any longer, but had a certain morbid curiosity as to what she really wanted. Looking at the little bundle wrapped against his chest, she smirked back at him. "So….the rumors are true…" He rolled his eyes and quirked an eyebrow at her, holding his free hand up dramatically. "And what rrrrumors have arisen, exactly?" he rolled his tongue to give a more dramatic and yet annoying effect…and partially from his accent as well. The queen laughed mockingly at him in return "You…a..a child!" at this point, she began to laugh, enjoying seeing him, the supposed "Dark One" becoming nothing more than a nursemaid. "You? Raise a child? Well, dear, I don't exactly see you as the type to be up at the crack of dawn changing someone's diapers or rocking the little thing to sleep…" she then made a face and looked over at Elizabeth "or having one so…helpless…" little Beth shook in fear as she retreated into his chest, but somehow…half of that fear was beginning to turn into resentment at her. Rumple snarled though his teeth at her in his reply "At least I have someone, witch…" he snapped back, holding Elizabeth tighter into his chest. He may have had to work a little harder, sleep a little less, and go on an emotional roller coaster…but at least he could wake up to the sound of someone's voice..even if that voice was whimpering for his attention and care. Regina would never have that, no matter what she did. They could say whatever they wanted about him, but at least he did the right thing for once…he chose the child over his dark reputation. That made Regina even more jealous…for he had more power than she ever would and also, someone who would love him despite all of his flaws. The woman curled her lips in disgust, earning a sneer from him in the same manner. She spoke again with a mockingly sympathetic voice. "Oh Rumple…you used to be so dignified. I can remember when you would rip out a heart and think nothing of it…and just look at you now, hmm? Nothing but a babysitter to a child that's not even yours…" she shook her head and leaned in close to him "Tell me dear…have you gone…soft?" Courage welled up within the child's heart once more…for as skiddish and helpless as she was, bravery…real bravery…came to her when it was needed. And nine times out of ten it came when someone was insulting him. She cared nothing about what other people said about her, but it was when someone went after him that she had an issue with. As someone who grew up fighting off wild beasts away from her herd, she was extremely protective. In this moment, in her weak little voice, she cried out defensively as she clung to him in not a fearful manner…but a protective one. "Leave him alone!" Regina twisted her face into a playful pout, having to stop herself from laughing at the fact that she was actually threatening her. Smirking, she leaned down to the small girl's eye level, she spoke in a mocking tone of voice, making it sound like baby talk. "What's the matter dear…did your dear old daddy forget to wrap you up in your blankie? Or did you forget to tell him about that little…ability…of yours?" Elizabeth's face went more pale than usual, for she had been too afraid to tell him that she had her own sort of magic, and if Regina kept pushing her, then it would certainly be displayed. She already felt the familiar tugging on her instinct. Panicking, she shook her head and looked up at him, then back at her. Rumple blinked in confusion at that, but still snarled through his teeth, easing Elizabeth protectively inside of his jacket. Suddenly, clouds began to form overhead, so thick that he could see them through the doors, turning angrily in the sky. Regina shook her head, looking back at him now with a mix of amusement and disgust as she tapped her nails on the table. "You should take care of your power…instead of this…pathetic child…." Rumple was ready to growl back a reply when something underneath the ground rumbled. As if out of nowhere, springs of water began to shoot up from the floor, and Elizabeth's eyes were dead locked on Regina's. Needless to say, she had had enough of the woman. She had kicked her, whipped her, chased her, dashed her to the ground, stolen her herd, forced her to kiss her boot, and was the probable reason for her illness. Elizabeth never wanted to hurt Regina, for she was incapable of harm to any other person, though, but just wanted to show her who she really was…she was the dark one's princess now, and she finally felt that it was alright to display her magic. She had no idea where it had come from…but knew enough about it to, at the very least, display it. She felt her gut twist and pull as she asserted her control over the water, and she had her eyes screwed shut. Moving her weak little hand in a twisting motion, ice began to form over Regina's feet, just enough to keep her in place. Summoning up all of the strength she had within her, Elizabeth sprayed the water at her, screeching in her very weak, high pitched voice, trying not to cough. "I said…LEAVE…HIM…ALONE!" Regina hissed angrily and managed to break herself free, storming out of the castle….leaving Rumple in complete shock…and pride..at the same time. Elizabeth felt more dizzy than she ever had been and soon fainted in her father's arms.

When she woke up a few hours later, he was still holding her, but was staring at the wheel in shock still…but as her vision focused, she could see something else on him…a huge, proud grin. It took her a few minutes to realize what had happened, for memory never served well when you lost control. Realizing what had happened, at last, she buried her face into his chest and cried. "Oh papa…I'm so sorry…I…I don't know what came over me…." She was so scared…scared that he would reject her because of her abilities, but felt a bit hopeful knowing who he was as well. He just smiled reassuringly and shook his head. "oh love…don't be sorry! There's nothing wrong with it….it just means that you're more like me, that's all…." He cooed. "But..for now on…don't use it unless you really, really have to, alright? I think it made you worse…" she nodded in understanding, for even more soreness flew through her veins and the twist in her face made that apparent. He sighed softly and stroked her hair now, not knowing what to think now…if she was magical….then who was she, really? Where did she really come from? Bless the poor thing's heart, she couldn't remember where she had come from in the first place…but shaking himself out of his reverie, he conjured a cold cloth to sooth her newly arising fever with. She was with him now, and that was all that mattered. He rocked her back and forth to assure her, for having this kind of magic was probably frightening for such a small, helpless little thing. However, Elizabeth was still worried about his reaction on the first new moon since she had been here, coming to happen in a few days time…when she would turn, for one night, back to the wild horse that she used to be.


	15. Chapter 15-Turning Point

Chapter 15

Turning Point

There was no moon in the sky this evening, cloaking the night into the folds of it's blackened robe. It was customary for prey or herd animals to roam during the night under the cover of darkness…and tonight was no exception. There, in the shadows of the great room, stood a horse, hiding herself in the shadows. The frightened filly trembled and hid her golden, nearly glowing eyes from view and prayed to all that was gracious above that he didn't wake up….or that instinct wouldn't take hold, causing her to bolt and end up heaven knows where. Elizabeth, now in the form of a horse with iridescent blue-black fur and golden eyes, backed up skiddishly and swished her tail with anticipation and fear. She couldn't understand it…she thought that this was simply a means of survival, a way for her to protect herself and to run from danger even when she no longer could. Yet now, she was in this castle, safe, warm, protected, and treated not unlike a newborn princess….surely, there would be no reason for her to turn, and yet she did anyway. Her fur stood on end as she wheeled around nervously, making things worse for herself having making some noise that echoed throughout the castle walls. Groaning, the imp rolled out of bed, and surely by now he had the routine down pat. Yawning sleepily, he conjured a bottle and the supplies to change her and trudged towards her basket…only to find everything but her inside. His eyes shot wide and he began to panic, yelling her name throughout the castle "ELIZABETH!" Whipping around every which way, he sped from one end of the estate to the other, only to end up in the great room still. Worry and fear crept into the dark one's heart and the fact that he couldn't find her horrified him. Noticing this, Elizabeth herself, now hidden amongst the shadows softly knickered, almost in a whimper. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him, and she couldn't hide this from him forever. If she was to turn every new moon, then he would eventually find out. Quite timidly, the filly now stepped out of the shadows, and into the light of the roaring fire. Rumple backed away slightly, shaking his head in confusion…how on earth did a horse get in here? And it seemed to be approaching him, coming right towards him. He held up his hands and shook his head…but then saw the eyes….her eyes. He could see the same desperate look in her eyes, the same twist in her face and same flinching when feeling pain, and yet the same fighting spirit deep down inside of her. His eyes still wide, he reached out to her. "E…Elizabeth?" he tentatively approached her, and the filly seemed to sadly nod and press her forehead against his hand affectionately, and then wrapped her neck around him, drawing him close to her with her foreleg. Suddenly, she found that she could still communicate with him through her own thoughts, telepathically. Her voice, a weak, southern drawl as it always was echoed in his mind "papa…I…I wanted to tell you…but I was scared…I'm sorry…" she pulled away slightly and lowered her head, her ears flopping to either side in sadness. He spoke to her lovingly still, pushing aside her mane just as if he would push hair out of her forehead in her human form. "oh sweetheart….oh me little Flicka…." He cooed, using what he heard horsemen had termed a young female horse as, in his high pitched Scottish accent as usual. She looked down still but then tilted her head upward at him, beginning to communicate through her thoughts with him again. "See…when I lived alone…this was how I survived…" her voice spoke sadly and then she stared right into his eyes, a dead serious look crossing the filly's face. "papa…listen…when this…happens…you have to keep me away…lock me up…" he stared at her, horrified at the thought "But…dear…" She shook her head at him and knickered in her words to let him know just how serious she was. "You can't let me out. When this happens…I become unpredictable…if you let me go out I could hurt myself even more…maybe even other people…" "How often does it happen?" he asked softly, rubbing her neck soothingly. "Once a month…the new moon. Please, papa…no matter how loudly I whine or neigh…you cannot let me out of this castle! It's only for one night…" she sighed, still staring at the ground. He spoke a few more soothing words just to show her that she was alright and sighed. Deep down, he knew it was true…other shapeshifters with the same problem of controlling themselves could easily lose control and do some things that they never would do with their senses intact and not even remember what they did that night in the first place. While the filly paced nervously around the room, he would offer soothing, reassuring words to her in order to calm her while he magically bolted the doors of the great room.

After a night of her whinnies, her heartbroken neighs and her attempts to get out(all on pure instinct), the sun soon arose, and with that, Elizabeth the filly began to glow, slowly going back to her weak little human form. As if just waking up from a nap or from a very bad episode, she began to cry like a newborn. He sighed, but tiredly smiled as well with relief that she had turned back. Dealing with a helpless child was hard enough…try dealing with a nervous, fidgety horse with cabin fever. He soon walked over to her and slowly lifted her up. "Shh…it's alright baby girl..you survived the night…" he winked at her and looked down at her with pure fascination before doing anything else. This girl had proved that even the weakest could be the most mysterious. Elizabeth could not remember anything from the night before, and cried out of confusion as she put her head right into his chest. He took himself out of his reverie and slowly and gently laid her down, feeling that she was in need of a change when he had picked her up. Man, she was a handful…but he didn't care, and was proud of her also knowing magic like he did. As he finished changing her, he playfully tickled her stomach and murmured "my my, you're quite the special little thing, you know that?" he cooed, soon picking her back up in order to feed her. She seemed to be more hungry than usual and so he giggled at the sight "hmm..someone's a little hungry…." As he held her though, she seemed to be trembling more than usual. Using all of that power last night must have been exhausting, even for a normal person…which Elizabeth wasn't. Very carefully walking around the room with her, he softly sighed, thinking to himself. Of course, she was magical…how could he have not realized this? No normal human could survive this long in this condition, fending for herself in the wild. And another thing that amazed him, more than her shapeshifting and her control over water and ice that she displayed against the queen, was her ability to smile. Despite everything she had been through, the child still was able to smile. And it was a wonderful smile…bright, warm, loving, and full of life…it was Belle's smile, which the child displayed perfectly. And despite her magic, he knew her most amazing ability: to be able to love him. Anyone else would have run away the second they saw him…but not Elizabeth. To his shock and surprise, she was afraid of not him, but everyone other than him…and her uncles, of course. Her adorable looks were enough to outshine magical abilities any day, and when she smiled cutely up at him around the rubber of the bottle, he couldn't help but grin even wider….and that's when, Rumplestiltskin…the dark one…the man everyone feared most…began to use baby talk. He couldn't help himself…she was just too cute. And as she took a break to breath just to look up at him, he, in his highly animated and abnoxious fashion began to make funny faces at her, giggling all the while. When it came to entertaining a child…his impish mannerisms were absolutely perfect. And that's when she laughed again…but it wasn't a normal human laugh. Since she had been with him, she had started to become a bit more like him, perhaps wanting to be like him out of her love and attachment to him…or perhaps he had just imprinted on her. When she laughed at him this time, she laughed dead on…exactly like him. "N…nyeeahaahaaha…" He gave a wide, proud grin at that and tickled her stomach so she would do it again…and she did. He was proud of and enjoyed the fact that not only was she magical like him…but she even laughed like him now. She even had his small frame when compared to the height of normal people. You really could have never guessed that she was adopted. He smirked and chuckled, cooing to her as he lifted her up and then giggled himself "Laughing at your old man, eh?" he smirked and then quipped back "What took you so long…" Clearly, this was not the same imp that had existed before.


	16. Chapter 16-Something There

Chapter 16

Something There

Perhaps now more than ever was the time to bond even more with Elizabeth. It was the beginning of February, or in the mountains, it was known as the dead of winter. The castle was perpetually drafty to begin with, even during the summer, and it was practically freezing now. As a result, Rumple would have to take extra precaution to keep Elizabeth warm. The child was so small, frail, and helpless that she could not even keep up her own body temperature. And so, the imp did everything he could to keep the little one warm. He held her constantly now, only putting her down whenever she needed something that required it. Her nursery was incomplete anyway, and it puzzled him that even after two months, Elizabeth never seemed to get any bigger or older, mentally or physically. The child was magical, after all, and that sometimes meant not aging…though dying was still, obviously, inescapable. For the poor little thing only seemed to be getting worse every day. He didn't even dare think about her future, for the very thought of losing another child made him sick to his stomach. And so he chose to simply enjoy every moment he had with her, even if that moment came when he was trying desperately to soothe her pain-filled cries. He never even minded tending to her, for, deep down, he loved it. He loved being able to hold a child in his hands again and to experience the feeling of being loved and needed by someone. He had been in a non-stop pursuit of power, but the reality was that this was what he truly needed: someone to love and to love him in return. And she definitely loved him…that was clearly shown whenever she smiled up at him or touched his face. Just to feel her snuggle deep into his heart as she did every time he held her was it's own reward.

On those dreaded nights when her fevers came back or when coughing fits persisted, it seemed that the only thing that would soothe her was for him to carry her around the castle halls, patting or rubbing her back and rocking her to ease her constant pain. All the while he whispered soothing, sweet nothings to her such as "Shh, dear…" and "papa's here baby….right here…" He had developed the habit of calling her "baby girl" and sometimes "baby" for short. Regardless of what happened, that's how he would always see her…his baby. He would then tell her of some of the deals he made. She didn't pay half of the attention to the content of the stories as she did to his voice. Listening to his voice, she always felt comforted by just his presence, and just having him near her made her feel safe and warm. The voice that was a dread to others was a lullaby to this fragile child.

He also took precaution to know when she was using her magic, so that he could monitor her. Using it seemed to make her even more weak and give her even more pain. Therefore, he needed to monitor that just as much as he monitored her vital signs. He had found a special way to do it, so that it could be a present for her at the same time. He managed to conjure up a silver charm in the shape of a spinning wheel with a heart attached to it, as well as a silver bell. Smirking, he then conjured up a blue velveteen ribbon and strung the heart, spinning wheel charms and the bell onto the ribbon. Giggling, he put it in a golden box and waved his hands over it. He grinned excitedly as he walked over to the little basket that Elizabeth was still sleeping in, grinning even more when he found her just waking up. She yawned from her nap cutely and he giggled in his usual impish manner just watching her as he crouched down to peer inside the basket. "Hi…papa…" she grinned up at him sleepily, speaking in her weak, babyish voice up at him happily. "Hi baby…." He smiled at her and took out the box from inside of his pocket where he had put it. "papa's got something for you, sweetling…" Her usually dull, glazed over eyes lit up like an excited puppy's would when it's owner came in the room. "What is it, papa?" she giggled up at him excitedly. Smirking and chuckling at his little one's excited reaction, he handed her the box, getting ready to help her open it up if necessary. She had some trouble at first, but then she managed to get it open, gasping when she saw what was waiting for her inside. "Oh papa…it's so pretty!" she weakly squealed, which called him to giggle even more. He took the ribbon necklace into his hands and showed her the spinning wheel charm. "This tells papa when you're in trouble, when you need something, or when you're turning…" she blinked in amazement and looked up at him and back at the charm in pure wonder. "How does that work, papa?" "Oh it's quite simple..see, when you're feeling a lot of pain or about to have an episode, it glows a reddish color…when you're happy or feeling loved, it has a golden glow…when you feel the presence of true love, it begins to glow a pinkish color…and when it has a bluish glow, you're about to turn or use magic…" and as if on cue, the silver charm emitted a golden glow around it, glowing softly into his hand. Seeing her amazed face, he grinned. "looks like it works perfectly…" smiling, he gently tied the ribbon around her neck, the little bell around it jingling prettily with every movement. Fastening it with a bow, he melted inside at how adorable she looked. He had found a way to monitor her, and had made her happy at the same time. Two birds in one stone.

As another cold snap came their way, Rumple decided it was time for little Elizabeth to have her own personalized blanket…something he could always hold her in to provide a sense of security if dealers ever showed their faces to them. Yet, he didn't want to conjure this one…he wanted to show her how much she meant to him, just as she had shown to him in every action she did. And so, he had gotten some pink yarn from the market and also brought out his own knitting needles. As Elizabeth slept comfortably in the folds of his jacket, he smiled as he began to knit. Needing absolutely no sleep nowadays, he chose to work all night. Not only could he find himself unable to sleep, but he also did not want to experience the dreams that he saw in his sleep…dreams of Belle…dreams of Cora…dreams of Bae. His dreams were haunted more than the average person's…such were the dreams of someone who could partially see the future. Having much to forget, the imp took comfort in watching the needles work together to create his child's blanket. Once in a while, little Lizzie would coo or babble in her sleep from her own dreams, making him smile once again. That was one thing about Elizabeth…she could make even those who were the most devastated smile once again. Such a beautiful, sweet soul deserved a hand-knitted blanket. Being able to knit much faster and much longer than the average craftsman, he had finished it in one night. As one final, finishing touch, he stitched into it an embroidered name patch that read "Elizabeth" in the most beautiful of embroidery. It was a good thing that he had finished it the night before as well, for she was already starting to shiver. Being careful not to wake her up from her slumber, he gingerly wrapped her up and swaddled her in the pink blanket. "There we go baby…..nice and warm…"

Every dealer, either peasant or royal who came to him noticed the change in the imp. For one, he was constantly carrying around the little bundle of pink wherever he went. He seemed also quite disinterested in what they had to offer him in return for his help, and would completely ignore the client to feed Elizabeth when she needed it…unafraid to show the softer, sweeter side of himself along the way. Needless to say, they all left his presence simply baffled when the deal was done. All he seemed to do nowadays was take care of the child. He could be seen giggling and cooing, holding the child in his arms with a huge, proud grin. He would soon have to work on her nursery, he thought, for every little princess deserved a beautiful nursery in which to feel safe and secure. He was also, both shocked and surprised at the same time when a herd of horses had settled into the valley…and by the happy tears in her eyes…he could tell that the herd was the one she had grown up and traveled with. He now also had her two little foxes which had traveled with her all those years: a red fox whom she had named Ruibin and a white fox whom she had named Gwyn…all when she had no name herself. As he looked to choose one of the large rooms for her, he himself hoped wherever Belle was…that she could see him. Clearly, there was something there in his heart that wasn't there before.


	17. Chapter 17-Felipe

Chapter 17

Felipe

Since Elizabeth had found that her herd had settled in the valley below the dark castle, she had begged him to bring her out to see them once again. And for the sake of her happiness as well as her health, he had figured that it was time for him to show her at least that part of the castle grounds. It was the beginning of March, and it seemed the coldest of the weather had worn off, bringing with it it's harsh temperatures to a more mild climate. Oddly enough, it seemed as if an early spring would come..unusual for the mountains that the imp and his tiny new daughter called home. And he had a feeling that it wasn't just due to the odd weather. Ever since he had found Elizabeth, he noticed how much her emotions affected rain and snow fall and the temperature of the air around her. When she was scared or when she was in the most pain, rain or snow..or both…would fall and the cold air blew in. Yet when she was happy, warmer air came into the area. An early spring would make sense, for she was most happy when she was with him, despite all of the pain that she bore. His smile made her smile, and just being near her made her beam with joy. For hers, his, and everyone's sake, he kept her as happy as possible. That being what it was, he immediately scooped her up in his arms and took her into the valley, wrapped in her newly made pink blanket. Elizabeth giggled happily with excitement as she snuggled into him and into the blanket. As he felt the tiny girl snuggle deeply into his chest, he smirked. She would stay there forever if she could…and he deep down wanted to hold her forever as well. Rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head, he now came upon what was left of her herd. There were two horses now, and he had to admit…the horse was a magnificent animal. Belle herself had enjoyed horseback riding, even when she was living with him. The child grinned delightedly as she saw of them, giggling weakly as she called out to one "Pie!" The pinto stallion easily recognized her, and whinnied as he trotted up to them both. He himself had never seen a horse of this color before…black with white pinto markings with bright blue eyes. However, he saw how important he was to his child, and so smiled gently as she interacted with Pie. She interacted with him as if she were talking to an old friend, which was completely true. Elizabeth mentally spoke to the horse in his own language…for there would always be a part of her that was still a horse…no matter how small that fraction was. All he cared was that she was smiling and enjoying herself. Her smile made him smile too…a warm, genuine, soft smile and not his usual smirk. He stroked her hair as he took his eyes away from her for just a few moments. He then blinked in curiosity as he saw the other horse approach him, and his eyes suddenly widened. He knew that flaxen mane and tail and that huge white blaze on his face anywhere. This was not just any haflinger pony who had found his way into his daughter's heart…this horse used to graze here in the very same valley that he was now, despite the imp's many objections to it. This was Belle's riding horse..and he somehow found his way back here. "Felipe?" he asked quietly, and then his face broke into a wide, toothy grin as Felipe outstretched his muzzle. "Hey old fellow!" he exclaimed like a boy who had just found his childhood pet. Elizabeth tilted her head up at him with a huge smile "Do…you know him papa?" he grinned, nodding and lifting Elizabeth a little higher in his arms. "This is Belle's horse, Elizabeth!" He nuzzled her forehead playfully and suddenly drew her close to him again. Now he needed to think…and was beginning to realize what this might have meant. What if Belle was really, truly alive? Had Regina been lying to him the whole time? Emotion ran through him, and suddenly he felt his head swimming with confusion. In the midst of this emotional strain and confusion, he sat down in the newly exposed grass resting against a tree stump, clutching Elizabeth to his chest. Elizabeth stopped giggling from the feeling of both of the horses licking her face and looked up at him with concern. "You okay, papa?" she asked in her weak, babyish, slurred voice…but with worry for him in them. He nodded reassuringly as he stared out into the early spring sunset. No matter what, she would always be more worried about his well being than her own. Once more, he swore that he could hear Belle's voice whispering into his ear comforting words. Rocking Elizabeth aimlessly, he kissed the top of her head, nuzzling there as he spoke softly to the child. "It's nothing dearie…papa's just…hallucinating…" Straightening out his leather suit, the imp sighed and stood up, seeing that the horses were settling down for the night. He also noticed that it was time for Elizabeth's next feeding and that he also needed to change the little girl again. Teleporting back to the great room, he unwrapped her from the blanket and changed her quickly, yet gently. He had become so used to this that he didn't even question whether he was doing it right anymore, and that he could change her within a few minutes if necessary. And it was true that his nimble fingers were perfect for the task. He giggled and kissed her belly when he had finished, trying to take his mind off of Belle by caring for Elizabeth and what she needed at the moment. He wrapped the little one back up in her blanket. Snapping his fingers, he made a fire ignite in the grate in the fireplace. He then took a seat in his throne, caressing Elizabeth's head as he conjured up a bottle of milk and smiled down at the tiny girl, allowing her to nurse as he put it in her mouth and held her against his chest. He spoke softly to her, gazing upon her with thoughtful eyes as she gently sucked from the bottle. "Elizabeth….your papa loves you very much…" he began to purr as he rocked her back and forth aimlessly, not knowing what to think any longer. He found himself thinking the impossible once again, and that for him was sometimes not such a good idea…and yet sometimes it was, giving him hope. He thought to himself as he held the little one to him…the child that looked so much like Belle and him combined. Could Belle still be alive somewhere? The thought both terrified him and gave him immense hope at the same time. Though putting his heart…his hope in something…didn't look too appetizing at the time where he was trying to keep this tiny little life that he was holding in his hands alive, terrified at the thought of losing another child. Yet, Regina, of course, had the reputation for being a liar who only sought comfort from the misfortunes of others…his loss of Belle being his greatest misfortune. Already, that witch had taken Belle, and hurt his precious little Elizabeth…and what offended him the most was that he had taught her magic in the first place. He would have found another way to cast this curse if he knew the monster that was to rise from his tutelage. And when the time came…he would find some way to keep Elizabeth from harm and with him. And now he had this nagging feeling of fostering hope that somewhere, somehow…Belle might still be alive. Getting his hopes up seemed undue pain now. For even if Belle was still alive and well...there was serious doubt in his heart that she could ever truly forgive him….even if Belle could see how kind of a father he was to little Elizabeth..and how much she looked like them both. Elizabeth's appearance seemed to be hauntingly like hers…every time he looked at her tiny frame, it was like looking at Belle in a miniature, sickly form. His heart twisted even more at her frail appearance, seeing her look so much like her and look so frail and helpless at the same time. He sighed, shaking his head as he stared straight at the wall, the silence only being broken by Elizabeth's suckling and the crackling fire as he buried his face in her hair again. He could have kicked himself just by thinking about her being in his life again…or even seeing her beautiful face once more. Belle was gone, and living or not…she was never going to come back to him. However, on occasion, the dark one was wrong…and he was wrong about this. As was to be proved one new moon, Belle was not only alive…but would find her way back to him….on her daughter's horse form's back.


	18. Chapter 18-Belle Returns

Chapter 18

Belle Returns

With the new moon, the night began as usual…him standing guard by the door with a nervous look in his eyes. It was now april, and by now he knew that nothing could contain Elizabeth once she turned. The best he could do was to let her run, for it was impossible to keep her tied up in the castle. She could break free of any rope, chain, or the like with ease in this form. It had turned him into a nervous wreck every new moon, for he was always afraid that she wouldn't make it into the castle by sunrise, when she would turn back into the helpless, tiny girl that she always was. However, he also felt strange for another reason tonight. He now felt his own instinct for something other than Elizabeth…or someone.

She felt the same as, now in the form of the iredescent blue-black horse, she galloped through the enchanted forest. Her nostrils were filling with a scent that was long forgotten to her…the scent she first smelled when she was born. For that was the beauty of this form…she could smell things and hear things that she thought had gone long ago. It was a wild, savage beauty, for sometimes those old instincts and smells brought up painful memories. Jumping through a creek, she could feel something or someone pulling her forward…and dangerously into the deepest, darkest part of the forest where the wolves lived. She could hear nothing at first but the wind going through the rustling new leaves, but it was a matter of no time before she could hear something else…something that chilled her to the very bone. It was a woman screaming in fright, calling out for help, and the howling of wolves. Elizabeth's good nature prompted her to do brave, yet stupid things, and this was not an exception. She quickly galloped to the site of the attack. A woman in tattered servant's clothing and brownish, reddish hair like her human form bore was pinned up against the wall. Her blue eyes were wide in fear, for they had her cornered….five of the biggest wolves that she had ever seen. And she recognized one: there, in the middle, was the wolf that had given her that leg wound. This was not only a rescue mission…but payback as well. The horse seemed to become much more like a predator now as she leaped in front of the pinned woman, who was trying to fight off the wolves with a torch. The beast neighed angrily in defense, pinning her ears back and rearing up to strike at the carnivores. Their teeth snapped at her hooves, but instinct and the same scent that she had first smelled on her "foaling" day was flooding through her. She dodged every single move they made and managed to strike, but they were ganging up on them quick. Neighing loudly, she tried to make it audible enough so that she could be heard throughout the woods…and she knew there was only one person who could understand their cries for help.

Rumple, hearing the loud, aggressive, yet frightened neighs of his daughter's horse form along with the cries that seemed far too familiar for him, and the howling and snarling of wolves, at once teleported to the scene. By the time he arrived, Elizabeth was backed up against the wall with Belle, still trying desperately to strike out at the predators. His eyes widened as he snapped his fingers quickly, making the wolves disappear into nothingness. He had to stare at her for a moment to register what was happening, but by the time he could be visible, Belle had fainted from all that she had been through, and as if he were a knight in shining armor, he swept forward to catch her from landing on the ground. His heart pounded and pure adrenalin ran through his veins as he teleported them all back to the dark castle…for Elizabeth seemed too exhausted to gallop back on her own. He lay his Belle down in his own bed, fingering the hair out of her face and starting to cover her up in blankets to keep her warm. She was here…she was truly alive, and now he had hope. A feeling of overwhelming happiness and yet nervousness at the same time flooded through him, as he sat on the bed and stroked her hair back from her face. She was even thinner than he had remembered her, and she looked as if she had been dragged behind a cart. There were shackle marks on her wrists and ankles, and several bruises appeared on her body. Hearing Belle groan in her sleep, he kept a close eye on her as he got Elizabeth changed and fed once she had turned back, and bandaged some of the child's battle scars as well. A sense of gratitude as well fostered in him towards Elizabeth, for she had not only found, but saved Belle and brought her back to him. Hope still rested within his breast that Belle would actually talk to him once she had awoken. What he really wanted, and truly needed deep down inside was for Belle to stay here with him, for him to take care of her and for her, Lizzie, and him to be a family. He was getting too ahead of himself, he thought, for Belle wasn't even awake yet, and he was terrified of her reaction of being back here and seeing his face again. As the child fell back asleep, he doted over her and his love, making sure both were warm and secure, Elizabeth all wrapped up in her pink blanket in the cradle he had made beside his bed, and Belle fast asleep in his bed. He was tempted to climb into bed with her, just to feel the closeness with her once more, but his fear was that he would frightened her more than she had been. His poor darling Belle…she looked as if she had not slept in weeks, and he could not resist sweeping the hair out of her face…just to look on her beautiful face was enough to make him sigh with happiness. And then there was her reaction to Elizabeth…even if, by some strange chance, she did decide to forgive him…would she want to be a mother? Or would she even want him? All these thoughts made his head swim as he looked upon her.

A few hours later, he noticed Belle starting to wake up. She groaned and tried to focus on her surroundings…the all too familiar rose colored walls and the smell of amber and roses floating in the air, along with the burning cedar of the crackling fire. And then there was the familiar figure standing beside her, looking down on her with concern. Her eyes widened and tears started to spill from her eyelids as her vision came into focus. "Rumple?" she asked quietly for a moment, at first having trouble believing that he was really here…and he was feeling the same. He wasn't sure if she would pull away or not, but gave it a try anyway. He reached tentatively with his golden flecked hand and cupped her cheek, caressing the skin softly with his clawed fingers. He smiled at her, for she seemed to be coming too…and she didn't shudder at his claws. "yes my love…it's me…" He was completely thrown off by what happened next. She practically flew into his arms and hugged him tightly, clinging to him as if he was going to disappear at any moment. All the emptiness of that morning when she left had faded away into the blackness of the night and into his warm embrace, as he held her tightly to him. He too, had fear that she would slip through his fingers at any moment like she had before. Rubbing her back softly as she began to sob into his shoulder, he whispered to her to calm her and to assure her, that, once and for all, she could count on him now. Never was he going to be a coward and cast her out again, no matter what happened. "It's alright my love…you're here…I'm here…." He sighed softly as he stroked his fingers through her chestnut hair, his eyes watering up as well "and I am so, so sorry…." "I'm…sorry too…." She sobbed happy tears into his shoulder as the two held each other, relishing their moment of reunion. It was as if the past no longer mattered, for they had both been through so much and now just wanted to start over…get to know each other all over again…and start a new life. All of the introduction could wait, for there was much on both of their parts to tell. They simply held each other there all night before one or the other could speak…the beast and his beauty were together once again…thanks to one small, tiny little life that was snoring softly in the cradle next to them. Waving his free hand, he made a beautiful, soft white stuffed unicorn appear in the blanket with her…for that was only a small way to thank her, but it was a start. Belle had returned back to him, now safe in his arms…all thanks to little Elizabeth.


	19. Chapter 19-Starting Over

Chapter 19

Starting Over

An awkward silence now existed between the two as they both tried to talk to one another again. He was almost praying at this point for Elizabeth to wake up, just to start up the conversation. However, there was much to tell her…and she had much to tell him. However, not as much as one could think, for Belle had no memory of a child being born to her…the Queen had erased those memories as one final blow to this family. She was determined to keep them apart…but in the long run, she had failed. For even though they did not know the truth about each other, they were now together, and refused to let each other know. It was the beast, the beauty, and the little angel, all together in that room. Speaking of which, Elizabeth was going to wake up soon, and he bit his lip in thinking of how to tell Belle. They were still holding one another, and he pulled away just slightly to look into her eyes, wanting to start up a conversation. He wanted to know what had really happened to her, and tried to keep himself calm while bringing it up. He looked into her blue eyes, fingering her hair slowly "My darling Belle…you must tell me what has happened to you…" for Belle looked so much more thin and gaunt then she used to be, and it tore at his heart, knowing it was his fault. She bit her lip and looked back at him, fearing his reaction to what she was about to tell him "Regina…locked me up.." His eyes flashed with anger and determination to exact vengeance on a certain queen, but before his angered thoughts could go any further, Belle took a hold of his hands with her delicate ones, forcing him to look into her eyes once more. "Rumple….." she began with a sigh "If we are going to make this work, you need to promise me something…" He nodded eagerly "anything…anything at all, my dear…." And he truly wished to do anything just to be with her once again, to hear her laughter echoing throughout the castle once more, to watch him spin once again, or just to wake up and see her. Those blue eyes stared right into his, as if looking right into his very soul. "Promise me you won't give into your hate…." His lip twitched, for deep down he knew Belle was right. Not only would that drive a wedge between them, but he now had a child to think about as well. "I promise…" he sighed like a stubborn child that had been scolded. She sighed happily as she then lay her head on his shoulder. Yet before they would have to remember that they couldn't kiss, the needy, helpless whimpers started to come from the side of his bed. Belle blinked and looked at him in confusion when the sound echoed throughout the chamber, tilting her head at the sound. It was quite confusing to her, for she only faintly remembered a child's cry from somewhere in her past. Her heart beat faster out of instinct as she looked at him, tilting her head to one side as was habit for her. He had missed that about her…like everything else, and yet he had another thing to tell her that wasn't there before. He donned a sheepish grin and squeezed her hands affectionately. "My love…I have someone for you to meet…" Standing, the imp began to tell her about the source of the whimper. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he began. "Around four months ago I found this tiny girl freezing to death in a snowstorm. She was so thin….and she was so sick. She had nowhere else to go so I took her in with me…I adopted her.." Belle blinked once more and a smile started to spread across her face. "You took in a child? You see….I knew there was good in you…" she drew him close and kissed his cheek, and he smiled at her while explaining some more about her. "You see…she is…very ill. She's helpless so I must tend to her every need…and sadly magic doesn't work on her…" he sighed and she kept her hand on his cheek. "Oh the poor dear…could I…see her?" even though the memory of Elizabeth did not exist in Belle's mind, the instinct to be a mother still remained. He smiled broadly at that, for he would love nothing better for his new daughter to meet his true love…and perhaps..down the line…accept her as a mother. "Of course dearie…" with another whimper of confusion of Elizabeth from Belle's familiar scent and from what happened the night before as well, Rumple bent down and lifted Elizabeth slowly and gently into his arms, rocking her a bit to comfort her and to help her adjust to waking up. "Elizabeth…." He whispered with a grin as he approached Belle "I have someone for you to meet, sweetheart…." Belle nearly squealed when she saw her, placing her hands near her mouth in shock from how small, thin, and helpless she seemed. She was shaking all over as usual, which seeing her broke Belle's heart. "Oh the poor baby!" Rumple slowly approached with her and Belle tentatively approach as well. As she stopped whimpering she looked up at Belle with her head tilted…for she still could have swore she had seen her face somewhere. "This is Belle…that's the beautiful lady papa told you about…" she looked up at him with confusion now as she weakly spoke, but started to smile a little bit as she weakly spoke "but p..papa…you said she went..to heaven…" He smiled and shook his head "I just found out that Regina lied to me, sweetie…this is really her and she wants to meet you." Belle smiled softly at him, for he spoke so kindly and so lovingly to the little bundle in his arms…a far cry from the same beast who had locked her in a dungeon and sent her away so cruelly. Belle spoke softly to the child as well and smiled down at her in a friendly manner. "Hello dear…your papa has told me so much about you…but he hasn't told me your name…what's your name sweetheart?" She smiled up at her with interest in her cloudy amber grey eyes, for Belle had become somewhat of a heroine to her for making her papa so happy during the time that she was here. "My name's Elizabeth…my papa named me…" Belle's smile grew and she looked at Rumple, who still had that sheepish look on his face. "The name..the name I would have named my daughter…you remembered?" "Of course I did…." He grinned and moved closer to Belle now as she continued to speak to the little one in his arms. "Your papa made a very good choice. It's my favorite name too…" "I..like your name too…" Elizabeth spoke back, very weakly and in her babyish voice as usual, but she tried to speak to her as well. Belle's smile couldn't get any bigger, and that made him smile, for he could tell she had been through hell and back. He could tell, also, that she was still very weak from her ordeal, so he encouraged her to have a seat on the bed. He soon joined her so that she could continue to interact with Elizabeth. Suddenly, Belle looked at him with those beautiful blue eyes and smiled. "Could I…hold her?" She had never had gotten the chance to hold her even after she was born, and even though she had no memory, motherly instinct was kicking in. He nodded "Of course…" he carefully passed the child to her, yet finding himself explaining to Belle how to do so. "Support her head….that's it, love." She smiled as Elizabeth instantly snuggled in to him and cooed down at her. "What a sweet little angel…oh Rumple…she is so precious!" he giggled and kissed Belle's cheek and Elizabeth's forehead, watching with a happy sigh as his beloved held his child…just the sight of it filled his heart with a warmth that was long forgotten. However, he also didn't want her to think that he was forcing upon Belle to be a mother if she stayed with him. "Er…dearie..you don't have to take care of anything, alright? You just rest and enjoy your life here…no more cleaning…no more cooking…none of that. You'll be the queen of this castle, and will be treated like one…deal?" She nuzzled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder while watching Elizabeth "Alright…no more cleaning…no more cooking…but I will help you take care of her…I want to, Rumple…" He nodded, and just enjoyed the time with his new family for a moment, purring to the both of them in a catlike manner. However, he also saw her dress, all tattered and torn, and decided to get a room ready for her to rest in "Darling? You stay with Elizabeth and I'll run a bath and get you some clothes...it's time you get out of those rags….and get some food for the both of you…" He nodded once, kissing both of their heads and walking out of the room. As he got things settled with magic, of course, he could not stop grinning like an idiot…even though there was another task before him…for now he would have to start a whole new life with Belle…and was both excited and wary of the days of bonding between all three of them to come. Meanwhile, Belle lost herself staring into her unknown daughter's eyes, rocking her back and forth in her arms, also waiting for their new life to begin.


	20. Chapter 20-A Little Fighter

Chapter 20

A Little Fighter

After he had prepared a room for his darling Belle, he took Elizabeth from her so that she could take care of herself, for she had been through so much and he did, in fact, looked forward to spoiling both of "his girls". The room he gave Belle was as large as his bedchamber, across the hall from his room. Elizabeth's nearly finished nursery was right next to his, with an adjoining door so that, if Elizabeth should cry and need him during the night, as she did when she needed to be fed in the dead of the night. He still wondered, though, how Belle would react to him actually taking care of the child. After all, the last time she had seen him he had been so cruel, unkind, and unfeeling towards her…now he had a big enough heart to take in a helpless child as his own daughter and actually enjoyed holding, comforting, feeding, or even changing little Elizabeth. He also smirked realizing how attached Belle was to her now and that they would have to wait to take turns holding her. Elizabeth herself had felt so at peace that the pain she felt this morning from both her condition and her wounds had no effect on her mood, as she had fallen back to sleep in Belle's arms. Never was there such a beautiful sight to him than his true love cradling their new child…hopefully, that's how Belle perceived her too…their child. The imp smiled and nuzzled her cheek affectionately when he had received Elizabeth from her, and watched with a happy sigh as she left to get herself cleaned up. He was relieved to see Belle treat herself to a bath and new clothes and a new grand bedroom, for now the "dark one" was going to definitely spoil them both. They had both been through so much hardship, and no amount that he could give, he knew deep down in his heart, could possibly make up for all of the pain that they experienced. He soon stepped out into the great room by the fireplace, curling up in the chair and waving his hand to summon a fire within it. It may have been spring, but there was still a chill in the air in the morning. Hearing Elizabeth starting to whimper and feeling her squirm lightly against him in waking up, he decided to feed her while waiting for Belle. He summoned a bottle in his free, clawed hand and touched her lips gently with the nip when she was able to open her eyes and adjust to the light. "Good morning baby girl…" he mouthed softly as she started feeding, looking into her eyes in amazement. He held the child tenderly to his chest as she eagerly nursed from the bottle from her need for nourishment. As always, the night before had taken much out of her. He smiled down at this little fragile angel who had returned Belle into his care. He may have changed her diapers, but she changed his life much more for the better. Could this be the reason why she was promised to be his salvation? By bringing Belle back to him for a second chance of their love? Or was it that she made him a better man in general? Little did he know that little helpless Elizabeth would do much, much more for him and their family. She may have been tiny…she may have been in pain…and she may have been weak…but there was so much more that he saw in her whenever she looked into her little amber grey eyes…almost identical to his. What he saw was unmistakable, so much more than what the tiny girl saw within herself: greatness. There was an unmistakable fighting look in the girl's eyes whenever he gazed into him…which happened to be almost constantly. The world saw an invalid, yet he saw what was really within her: a fighter. Elizabeth was fighting a painful battle every day of her life. She was in fact, fighting for her life on a daily basis, struggling to handle the pain and having to depend on the outside world for every little need. He could see new battle scars forming with every twist of her face. His only hope now was that she was not going to lose her war with disease. She had so much more bravery than what she gave herself credit for, and perhaps that was the greatest reason why she reminded him of Belle so much.

The brave little fighter giggled up at him, despite the pain she was feeling, when he rubbed her chin. For as long as she was with him, and now Belle, pain no longer mattered to her. Her happiness as well as her strength depended on close contact, comfort, and care from others, and the same aided her daily struggle. Like a premature baby, she drew her strength to survive from being close to other people. He would now more than ever be willing to give that to her. He cradled her in his arms tenderly, like a tiny baby, giggling and cooing to her in the same manner. Because of his very high pitched and at times childish voice, baby talk that came out of him, along with Elizabeth's weak giggles, echoed throughout the castle halls…and he had forgotten that Belle could hear him. "Hi baby girl…are you papa's little angel? Yes! Yes you are!" He cooed, a giggle coming from Elizabeth in response. Once again, it wasn't a human giggle but sounded more like him…even more accurately this time, even though it was still incredibly weak from her condition "Nyehahaaaa!" He giggled in the same manner with a proud grin on his face all the while and started to tickle her stomach as gently as he could. "Nyehaahahaaa!" and Elizabeth, in the meantime, began weakly waving her arms up at him in her vain attempt to fight back. He continued cooing in this manner when Elizabeth needed a bath. "Let's get you cleaned up, dearie…" He did such things as humming a lullaby, kissing her nose when he washed her hair and of course, used the baby talk continuously as he dressed her. "Oh you sweet little thing…papa does owe you a lot…" She tilted her head up at him all the while, wondering why he said that..for in her mind, he had always been her hero. He choose a little pink nightgown for her to wear today, with a pink ribbon in her hair to match and, of course, the all too familiar ribbon around her neck bearing the spinning wheel charm and the little silver bell. It jingled merrily when he fingered it, and in his mind it made her just even more adorable. It was at this point that Belle came in. He had to take a second look now, for she was dressed in the same gold dress that she had came to him in, only this time it was fully repaired and cleaned. The sight stunned him and suddenly, if the imp could blush…he would have. He seemed to be a little sheepish at being "Mr. Daddy" in front of someone else. It was also due to the fact that Belle could still command his attention whenever she walked into the room. Those blue eyes still cut through him like a knife, as if searching his very soul every time she looked at him. And yet there was something else in them now…pure love and affection for him. It was as if he were just the mortal and she was the enchantress, casting her hauntingly beautiful spell over his heart….in the same exact way that Elizabeth won a soft spot in it. Belle also donned a soft smile now hearing little Elizabeth's excited greeting towards her "Belle!". She stroked the soft, chestnut hair of the little one, so much like her own. Belle also had noticed the odd way that she had his eyes and her hair…it was both odd and perplexing to her that that could happen by chance, and she felt a strong connection to the child whenever she was near her…and Elizabeth had felt the same. She also smiled at him, the new father as she spoke "Hey…." He awkwardly smiled and spoke to her as well. "Hey dearie…" Belle grinned a little more "I um…heard you…." His cheeks became darker and even more golden then the rest of his body. She giggled at that and kissed his cheek lovingly. "Well, I think it's adorable.." he smiled at her and cleared his throat "Well…it's nothing really…she just likes hearing me talk, I guess…" she then touched his cheek, with earned a kiss from on her hand in an affection towards her. "You…really love taking care of her, don't you?" he smirked and tilted his head to one side, rubbing Elizabeth's chin again. "Well, I suppose I do…and it's not very hard, really..though it was an adjustment at first. You should have seen me on the first week, after she had become like this…" he smirked just thinking about it. "I burned her bottles whenever I conjured them, it took me a half hour just to figure out how to eh…change her…and the sad part is that I had a son…" she stifled a giggle at that and placed a hand on his cheek again, sighing some "well…I think that you're doing a great job with her…" she thought for a moment before looking into his eyes again. They needed time together now, and she had the perfect suggestion, it seemed. "So…do you…wish to take a walk?" he nodded in agreement, leaning into her touch affectionately with a loud purr. "Yes…Elizabeth could use the fresh air as well." It was obvious that Elizabeth approved, for she clung to both of them now…both of her parents.


	21. Chapter 21-The Cry Before The Storm

Chapter 21

The Cry Before The Storm

Elizabeth sometimes couldn't sleep due to pain and now when Rumple woke, so did Belle. Elizabeth was crying non-stop one night and no matter what, Rumple couldn't get her to stop crying or go to sleep. Bad episodes would happen at times but this was one of the worst that she ever had. He was desperate as well as worried, for he had never seen her cry that much since her stroke. "Shhhhh Elizabeth…" he whispered soothingly as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. "You're not wet…I've just tried to feed you…what's troubling you? Are you in pain, darling?" he had to hold back a whimper itself when he saw her face twist in pain. His heart twisted just as her face whenever he saw her. Deep down, he knew that this was the start of Elizabeth getting worse..and he could do nothing for it. So he did the least he could do for all of this little miracle had given him, and that was to just take care of her. As he bounced her softly in his arms to comfort her, he looked up to see Belle walking in and looking just as worried and concerned as he was. "Is she alright?!" He shook his head and sighed, for he did want to tell Belle that everything was fine, that she was just being fussy…but if Belle was to be Elizabeth's mother, she needed to know the absolute truth. He would no longer lie to Belle, about anything…especially their tiny daughter. "Dear…she's just in too much pain...I'm afraid that I'm going to be up all night with her…" "Pain?!" Belle looked horrified at the thought of such a little girl being in agony. She couldn't help the tear that escaped from her eyes. "That's not fair..she's just a baby!" "I know, my dear, I know…" he sighed sadly as he further heard the sound of Elizabeth's weak whimpers, the poor child unable to take a fresh wave of pain that was going through her. At this, Belle took Elizabeth into her arms and started to rock her back and forth just as he was doing to relieve him a bit. She had held her before, but had never taken care of her, but wanted to help her love and this poor thing in any way that she could. "that's a girl…your papa and I are right here sweetheart.." In her pain, she tried desperately to search her face out with her eyes, the sick girl trying to concentrate on her voice. However, Elizabeth wanted to communicate with her as much as possible…and an idea began to form in her mind about that too. "Mama…." She needlessly whimpered. Belle nearly cried herself when she heard this, for she knew that she would be her mother from now on, but hearing Elizabeth call her that made the reality ring true even further. "Shh darling…yes, I'm your mother…." She clutched Elizabeth close to her heart and smiled at him despite the situation, tears still flowing from her blue eyes. "Rumple…did you hear?" His lips twitched into a smile as he came close to them both, for now they were a family, even though much more was left to be revealed about the whimpering child clinging to his true love. The fact still remained, however, that this strange child who had brought so much into his life was now fighting for her own. A look of determination appeared in his amber eyes as he threw his arms around them both, messaging Belle's hair and wrapping Elizabeth close to his chest in the process. His lips pressed to Belle's hair tenderly, he spoke softly. "We will save her…." He said in his determination. "We will all survive this, I promise…" and this was one time when he was determined to keep his promise…this was a deal that he could never dream of breaking. There was no more abandonment, no more running away and no more backing out. This was not the time to be a coward, for he was no longer a lost boy, but now a father for a second time. "You're going to be alright baby girl…you're going to be alright…" he cooed over and over. They held each other for a few hours until the little thing started whimpering once again, this time for needing to be taken care of. Belle looked up at him in confusion for a moment, not knowing what she wanted or needed, and he smirked, knowing that she would need to adjust and learn how. "What's wrong with her…" she asked in utter confusion. He giggled and smiled hearing Elizabeth's stomach growled. "I think our daughter's hungry…" Belle had not seen him feed her yet, and so didn't know what to do feed her. Confusion went around in the halls as she looked at him pleadingly to explain. He then gasped, not believing that he had forgotten to tell her about Elizabeth's diet. "Oh…I ehm…have to bottle feed her…" her being hungry was a good sign, and he at least felt soothed by the fact that Belle would not judge her based on her dietary needs or the fact that she needed to be carried around everywhere and changed, or had to sleep in a nursery that was newly completed. Others had started to become judgmental of the sickly girl, when really, he had seen no problem with it. This was what Elizabeth needed to survive, no matter what other people thought or what society expected the girl to do. Really..what was the child supposed to do? If this was what she needed to fight, then so be it. The fire flickered softly as Rumple smiled and explained how to feed the child, and Belle gasped in amazement once she was able to do it. She blinked a few times, for it did seem so familiar to her, and she felt as if her instincts were lighting up little by little, as if distant memories were flashing back to her. As she blinked a little and looked confused as she looked down at Elizabeth nursing from the bottle. The imp was confused by her reaction and looked at her with concern, running his hands through her chestnut hair some. "Belle…what's wrong darling? I know it feels strange at first but you'll get used to it after a few tries…" "No…just the opposite…it feels wonderful…but…I feel like I've done this before…" "Hmm…I wonder why that is. The last time we discussed the manner you had said that you had never held a child in your life…let alone feed it…" "It's strange…but wonderful…" with another kiss on the cheek and twenty minutes later…after being up the entire night…little Elizabeth finally fell asleep in between them. "Come along…let's put her down and then maybe we can get some sleep…" he grinned as he very carefully took Elizabeth, with Belle following after him.

With that, he walked into the new nursery that had just been completed when she was asleep…and she would see it when she would first wake up in the morning. The rose colored walls were unmistakable, and it was a nursery fit for a little princess. The walls were covered with murals of running horses in a classic celtic style, protection spells written on the walls in gold ink as well. For the child would need to be protected from the imp's many enemies, even though they would go no further before meeting their end if the thought even crossed their minds. The ceilings were vaulted as were the rest of the ceilings in the castle, but these scenes were inlaid with gold, diamonds and sparkling blue topaz, making the whole room sparkle whenever the light bounced off their surface. A beautiful crib, a changing table, and a rocking chair made out of the finest and hand-picked trees in all the lands graced the soft floor, covered in white fur rugs. A banner of her emblem…a gold running horse on a blue background hung above the fireplace. A spinning wheel was also here for those nights in which he would have to stay here, a full basket of straw already waiting to be spun. Huge stuffed animals covered the borders of the room, as if keeping guard of the resident inside. The crib in itself was a perfect little world for the little princess of the deal. The bedding was all pink and gold, and was made of the softest and warmest material. Elizabeth's two favorite stuffed animals…a stuffed deer and a stuffed unicorn had already been placed inside of the crib for Elizabeth to snuggle with. The mobile in itself was truly a work of art. It was made of crystal, shining light whenever it hit it, its hues bouncing off the walls until the entire room seemed to be filled with sparkling, colorful light. The crystal figures that hung on it were horses, of course, because that was Elizabeth's spirit animal. He had even enchanted the pillow so that it would have the sound of a human heartbeat built into the pillow to help her sleep. If she truly wanted to fight whatever disease this was, she needed to sleep as much as she needed to. His instincts had grown so strong that he didn't need to hear her cry any longer in order to know when she needed something or if she was in pain. Belle looked around in amazement herself "Oh Rumple…it's beautiful…" "I hope she likes it…" he smiled softly as he gently lowered the tiny girl into the crib. "I know she will…" and neither one of them could guess what would happen the next morning.


	22. Chapter 22-The Golden Glow of Hope

Chapter 22

The Golden Glow of Hope

This morning, though, would be the start of many strange happenings and the brunt of the fight for Rumple's little trooper. Elizabeth was just beginning to wake up and adjust her little sensitive grey eyes to the light. Her vision was oversensitive to stimuli, so it took her more than a few minutes to open her eyes and fully wake up…thus the reason why Rumple tended to keep her nursery a bit dim when she first awoke. As she slowly opened them, she blinked and flinched at the light. The child whimpered slightly as she always did when she awoke, waking up to the pain and to the world around her. Luckily for her, she was in a nursery designed to be the safest and softest place in the world for a sickly child such as she. She then looked over at her hand that was wrapped around the nearest stuffed animal, and her vision slowly came into focus. What she saw made her eyes widen in shock. Elizabeth's tiny little hands were now covered in tiny little golden flecks embedded into her pale skin, the light from her hands bouncing all over the rails of the crib. Her nails had grown into little claws like her father's nails. Surely enough, Elizabeth was terrified at first…for how else would a person react if their hands had changed overnight…especially a little one like her. "papa!" The child immediately cried out, knowing that he of all people would understand this…for her skin on her hands looked exactly like his. Was this how he started to be all golden? Tears of confusion began to leak out of her eyes. She wasn't sad that she was starting to look like him, far from it. In all actuality, she would love looking more like her all-time favorite person, but it was just happening overnight and that's what caused her to freak out. As the sound of her helpless cries rang through the castle halls once more, Rumple's eyes shot open. He groaned when Elizabeth started crying and he gently removed himself from a sleeping Belle's arms…the woman was holding him like a stuffed animal when she was asleep. He smiled at her and watched her sleep for a few seconds, whispering "I just need to go to tend to the little one dear…sleep well." He then teleported himself into the nursery, summoning a bottle in his hand at the same time for the child to feed her with. Coming over to the crib, the imp settled his hands on the railings and peered down into it to see his daughter. Once he saw what was different about her, he nearly dropped the bottle. He fingered her hand and examined the skin "what the…." He whispered. He then lifted the still whimpering Elizabeth up out of the crib to further examine her. It seemed to be only the hands that were affected, but it still made him gulp. His head was reeling at the sight, for now her hands looked like little miniature versions of his. He held one of her tiny hands in his and looked at it in utter confusion "how…on earth?" The only time he had ever seen this sort of change was on himself...but never on a normal human. But he was reminded of two facts…Elizabeth wasn't normal…and she probably wasn't fully human. Elizabeth was a magical creature, and that much he knew…from the water she summoned to spray Regina and the fact that she could turn into a horse. But still…golden skin that was nearly identical to his own? Being that the child was still crying, however, he snapped himself back into reality and shushed her, holding her tightly to his chest. He had to remind himself that Elizabeth was probably just as panicked as he was, even more so. He himself, when his skin took on the appearance before his own eyes so long ago, was in a sheer panic at his new appearance. He wanted to assure her, though, that none of this was her fault or her doing, for this surely was a sign or..something else…even though he couldn't tell what it was yet. "It's okay baby…you're okay…" Rumple cooed soothingly into the frail child's ear as he cradled her. "We'll figure this out…don't fret, dear…" he assured her. He bit his lip, for inside he was the one that was panicking. The last thing that Rumple wanted to do was to have Elizabeth share the same burden of power that he bore…she had enough burden already on her with the pain that she was feeling. Having the dark one's powers were even more so of a burden to be borne on her thin shoulders. Whatever this was…he hoped it was just in appearance and wouldn't spread to the rest of her body. And there was still hope in him that whatever this was might be the cure that he had been begging for and hoping for with his life. Shaking his head out of his reverie, Rumple tried to make Elizabeth as comfortable as possible to help calm her, first laying her down to change her when he noticed that she needed to be changed. He spoke soft, soothing, sweet nothings to her all the while just to calm her and make her feel at ease. Her panicking would not only cause her to become worse off than she already was, but would also cause both parents to panic as well. Belle…he thought…oh gods…what would she say? But more importantly…what would she think? He feared that Belle often held back what was really on her mind as not to hurt their relationship more than it had been. Then again, their relationship was already so fragile and complicated. So therefore, Rumple was more than nervous about what Belle would say and think about her new child having his skin. Even with it, Elizabeth would still look beautiful, though…for being so tiny, frail, and sickly, her beauty was beyond compare…a strange, savage, wild beauty could be seen whenever he gazed upon her face. She was so unrealistically beautiful despite her tiny size and weakness. He saw it even now as he fed her, even with the golden skin and tiny little claws on her hands. This was the time when he got to look into her eyes, for she always looked back up into his. He always found himself lost in their beauty and deepness…truly amazed by those glinting amber hues of them. He however, looked panicked when Belle walked in. She tilted her head in concern and walked over to him "Rumple? What's wrong? You look as though you've seen a ghost…" placing a hand on his shoulder, he then gulped in return and moved Elizabeth's hands into hers, showing her what had been the cause of his fright. Her eyes widened and she looked at him, and both parents showed the same exact expression: fear, surprise...and a touch of hope. "Rumple….what happened?" "I don't know, dearie…I'm just as surprised as you…" "What do you think it could be?" "With her, who knows, it could be anything. Her magic might just let her imitate my appearance or it is possible…" "That this could be a cure?" she finished her sentence with hope glittering her eyes. "If it is…it had better come quickly…" he sighed and Belle almost whimpered from the way Elizabeth was shaking all the time and how rash and short her breaths were. Belle blinked back tears as she kissed her Elizabeth's forehead. She had just gotten a daughter…and losing her in this quick of a fashion would be too cruel….and he too, would be cruelly heartbroken, and it was a heartbreaking thought on it's own accord. She had saved his life…and now he could not save hers. However, at the sight of her skin becoming like his, there was hope stored within him that perhaps, if she could look like him and have powers of her own…that she could become immortal like him. Then even if she was in this frail state…he still wouldn't lose her. However, there was no point to getting his hopes up or down in either direction, so he took his mind off of it, and encouraged Belle to do the same. The family huddled together for a while, until he had thought of something. For the past few days, he had been working on an amulet that would protect him from the effects of Belle's kiss. For every time he looked upon her face, the thought of kissing her never left his mind, for a beautiful woman such as she deserved such a display of true love. It frustrated him that he could not…and was determined to find a way. He had enchanted an antique amulet by inserting a strand of his and Belle's hair inside of it, and hung it around his neck, so that no matter if Belle kissed him, he would still remain alive and well as the dark one. He now gazed into her eyes and then suddenly leaned forward to kiss her while still holding the child in his arms, and of course, Belle did not object. They lost each other in their kiss, the entire world and their worries seeming to fade away in their love for each other. Elizabeth's spinning wheel charm donned a bright gold glow, showing her presence in true love. However, they were going to both need all the support they could get, for over the past few months Elizabeth was going to literally engage in the hardest battle of the fight for her life. For the disease was advancing, and the clock began to tick…tick tock it went in her fragile heart…the beating heart of a crocodile.


	23. Chapter 23-Fate and Destiny

Chapter 23

Fate and Destiny

As the months rolled by, the child was now visibly getting worse. Her coughing fits and painful episodes were happening on a daily basis. Fevers occurred almost constantly, and Belle and Rumple took turns watching her. As she had gotten worse, they found that they could no longer leave her alone for more than a few minutes. Rumple, though, insisted on pulling most of the weight. It broke her heart to see this poor child cry out in pain, and that made her cry as well. She had tried not to show it out of Elizabeth's sake, but could no longer help it. What mother could possibly be that strong? Granted, he had a stronger constitution than she did, but his heart also wrenched at the sight of his little girl writhing in agony. With every twist in her face, his own heart twisted just the same. And so he never left the poor girl's side, holding Elizabeth clutched in his arms every second of every day. There were several times throughout this in which he himself had wanted to cry, for he could practically see her fading from view with every second, the cold hands of death constantly trying to snatch his child from his protective golden arms. Elizabeth was crying constantly, and every effort was put into calming her down. He would place himself in one chair hour after hour just to nurse Elizabeth, while Belle would rest from her shift. He had walked miles around the castle and on the grounds, walking while bouncing her in his arms to comfort her from her ordeal. Yet at times, both parents needed to take a break, and so Jefferson was often asked to tend to her for a few hours so that both of them could have some alone time. Most, if not all of it, would be spent sleeping. Of course, as hard as it was for them…it was ten times as hard for Elizabeth herself, who was in so much agony at times that she could hardly breathe. Her lungs felt as if there were rocks inside of them, and she felt as if the weight of the world was literally bearing down upon her tiny body. The episodes that her damaged nervous system gave made the pain even worse, and she felt as if she could no longer control them. She was so weak and tired that, even when she would turn on the new moon, that her horse form didn't even bother to leave her nursery; the horse just lay there on the floor all night until sunrise, when she would shift back and cry to be put back in her crib. In other words, her spirit had been broken. She could feel herself losing her war with whatever this disease was, losing a small battle every second as she tried to withstand the pain. As the months went on, a feeling of hopelessness had started to kick in as well. Also by the time signs of an early winter swept in, so did the golden flecks on her skin. Their appearance now turned up all over her body, until she looked like a pint size female version of her father. They had spread with every stride she took to death's door. The child was now a little image of her papa, and she was slowly fading away just the same. Needless to say, the little girl was beginning to grow quite desperate. She had finally found a family to call her own and now would soon be faced with the devastation of having to leave them forever…and that, much more than the pain…was what made her cry so much. One time, her father had drifted off to sleep when she was still awake, and tiny Elizabeth had her head in her hands, shaking her head as she let quiet tears slip...not wanting him to break his rest when he had done so much for her. She quietly and weakly whispered to herself the thoughts in her head. "There's..got to….be another way.." she sniffed "I don't wanna die…" she stated with a sob as she absentmindedly looked out the window and to the stars. For she knew that she was dying…Elizabeth may have been tiny and helpless, but she was far from stupid. She would give anything just to stay on earth and deal with the pain, even if it was forever. She didn't care about all the suffering and the pain in which she had to endure every second of every day, as long as her family was near. All she wanted was to stay on earth with them. Her watery, glazed over eyes filled with tears as she focused her shifty, blurred over vision on the stars outside…in particular…the brightest one. She blinked in thought for a moment. Wishing on a star had worked before….so why not now? Even if it couldn't work, there was a time when desperation surpasses rationality. Closing her eyes, the child pleaded to the heavens, her pale golden skin glinting in the light of the moon. "Oh please..please…" she began in a begging manner "If there's any….way at all for…me to stay on earth and be with mama , papa, uncle Jefferson and uncle Victor….please…pretty please…help me…" at first, nothing happened, and all she could hear was her father's soft snoring and the early winter wind, and little Elizabeth was ready to wail in disappointment. Just as when she had abandoned all hope, a fluttering figure appeared in the darkness, and then flew out into the moonlight filtering through the window pane. It seemed to be a little fairy dressed all in blue. Elizabeth shrunk back fearfully and Blue seemed to do the same. Elizabeth knew that her father lost her brother because of a fairy, and Blue could not mistake the golden flecks embedded in the girl's skin. However, sensing that the girl was harmless, she approached. "Greetings young one…" she said warily, and Elizabeth's reaction was as much frightened as she was "Um….um…who are you?" "The blue fairy…and I may be able to grant your wish…" she had to think for a moment as to who she was really dealing with. When thinking back to the color of the star, she had noticed its blue hue. Her eyes widened in realization. "You're that star…" she smiled despite her fear and general dislike of the man holding her. "Yes dear child…worry not, I come in peace…" Elizabeth, however, didn't trust her so easily. "Um…papa says I ain't supposed to talk to fairies…" out of his fear of losing her, Rumple had advised her never to talk to fairies. Elizabeth was more faithful to him than Bae was, but he still feared her slipping from his fingers…and not just as a result from disease. Blue rolled her eyes some in return, sort of expecting him to teach this to his second child. Obviously, the child didn't know that her father was a monstrous coward. "Please my dear…I'm here to help you…" Elizabeth eyed her now, not knowing if she could be trusted. Elizabeth was quite friendly in personality, but she trusted all of her father's judgment more than whatever this fairy had to say. Still….if there was a way to stay alive and be with him, than she would do anything to survive. "But…how can you help me?" Blue smiled a little, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes…almost a pitiful smile. "By granting your wish…" Her eyes brightened now, and the imp child was now definitely interested in what she had to say. "You mean…you can really save me?!" "Let me finish…." She gave her a hand signal not to interrupt as anyone would reproach any interrupting child. "….but it does require something from you in return…" Elizabeth looked at her pleadingly with her now big pleading amber grey eyes. "Oh please! Please tell me! I'll do..anything….anything at all…" she begged, and the fairy sighed as she looked at her sympathetically, raising an eyebrow. "You are a brave girl, and I won't deny that…but could you truly withstand this pain for eternity? Could you be weak, helpless, and pain stricken forever?" She asked this in all seriousness, and Elizabeth thought about this for a moment before asking what was on her mind. "But…miss Blue…why must I be…in pain forever?" "Because…as I'm sure your father has told you…all magic comes with a price" she began, reffering to him with a hint of contempt in her voice, and she looked at her as she continued. "…and what has to be done to preserve you…will require your total sacrifice…you will bear the weight of your father's sins and his use of dark magic for all eternity…you will be the price of magic. You will pay for what he has done…and all of the misery he has caused...with your pain." Elizabeth just stared at her…dumbfounded and not knowing what else to say. "You have until the winter solstice to decide young one…for that is when you will, should you decide to sacrifice yourself…transfer the weight on to you…" she looked into the girl's wide eyes seriously as she continued "If not then…then you will surely die at the stroke of midnight of the next day.." With the groan of Rumple waking up, the blue fairy left, and Elizabeth was now left between a choice of eternal life and immortality with torturous, excruciating pain…and a merciful death with yet having to be the lonely ghost that could no longer see, hear, or be with her beloved family. Plus, if she did choose life…she would be doing something for him in return, and rid him of the burden of his magic forever without him losing his powers…by taking the price of it among herself. She had until the winter solstice to decide, and the fate she chose would change the fate of those she loved now…and those she loved in the future as well.


	24. Chapter 24-The Winter Solstice

Chapter 24

The Winter Solstice

The weeks came and went, and Elizabeth had made her decision. The daylight was short as it usually was on the winter solstice…the coldest and shortest day of the year. It was also one of the most sacred days for magic users. And the child was now at her worst point ever. Neither of her parents left her side, her fever rising with every moment. It felt difficult to breathe, at best. It rather felt like her body was burning up with every breath, the light dimming in her eyes little by little. The imp who had become this girl's father was by her side…tears in his eyes as his true love buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. His free hand held on to Elizabeth's cold one. The child looked up at them both pleadingly and tried to search out to them with her weak voice…the little that she could speak "P…papa….mama…." they looked at her pleadingly in return…as if begging for her not to leave them. "Y..yes dear?" "I…need you…to take me to the old….stone temple out in the wilderness…there's….no time…" Elizabeth was delirious, but she still knew what she had to do…for she had made the decision to live and was not turning back from that. Belle was a brave woman, but was on the same wave length as Rumple when it came to her thoughts…and now, as they looked at her, they thought deep within them that she was deciding on where to die. But, this was her request, and it would break their hearts and souls to refuse such a simple request to her. Belle and Rumple now walked hand in hand, their hearts heavy as they made their excursion to the old stone temple. The site was ancient, to say the least…it was covered in runes, magical symbols, and ancient languages. There were columns with strange carvings of fairies and creatures of all types, carved into the stone. A table or an altar of some sort was placed in the middle of the ruins, made of stone in itself. "Please…lay me on the table…" Rumple looked closely at the table as he nodded to the poor child's request. His eyes focused on the writing which now was carved into the front of the altar…and it looked new.

"When the sacrifice is made anew,

The price of magic will be due,

The firstborn daughter will make the choice,

Child of the deal, pay the price."

Before he could realize what those words meant, Blue and a council of fairies appeared before her, all around the ruins. She looked up at him pleadingly "papa….I have to do this…." He began to shake his head in absolute horror, but he knew there was no stopping her from what she was about to do. For it was quite possible that whatever she was doing…it might be her survival at stake…but the fairies?! He tried to keep himself from trying to kill all of them before growling miserably in the shadows, watching the child with worry while clutching Belle closely and protectively to him. Elizabeth lay there, helpless…but with determination in her eyes at the same time. Blue cleared her throat, now in full human size as she began to speak to the assembly. "It is stated in the prophecy that one girl would be the dark one's salvation. This person is meant to share in his power and also in his burden, taking the brunt of it upon herself…and along with it, the brunt of the price of magic of any future sibling or the children of those siblings. This child has agreed to take the price of what he has done upon herself, and in so bearing the weight of all his descendants as well. It is prophesized as well that the child that bears this burden…will be the firstborn female. She has been given the choice of eternal, yet painful life and taking on her destiny…or death in avoiding it, so I ask you, my dear….what shall you choose?" Rumple's heart froze within his chest and Belle was near hysterical, trying to get out of his arms in order to protect her child. "But..she's not…ours…not by blood…." He quietly whimpered…almost afraid that she was right. For if she truly was their child…then it was his fault…and it was about to become his fault even if it wasn't before. Elizabeth, though she may have lay there helpless, looked up at her bravely and in ceremonious determination in her eyes. "I…choose…life. I will take the burden of…what he has done…" she then muttered under her breath "even though he did nothin'…wrong to begin with…" "Then Elizabeth…I charge you with murder, treason against the laws of magic, trickery and crimes against your fellow man…you must pay the price of these sins passed on to you by your father." She turned to some of the other fairies, who seemed to be almost in tears just watching this brave, tiny girl accept her fate for her family, and many feeling extremely sorry for her. Blue was slightly sympathetic as well…but she had a hate for Rumplestiltskin and, let's face it, this girl was like him, even though she was a creature of light and not of darkness. A rattling sound came within the ruins, and soon four fairies carried a series of long, glowing, golden chains, which right away caused Belle to cry out in fright and anger, as Rumple tried to rush forward to stop this all from happening. This, certainly, was a fate worse than death. Elizabeth herself just closed her eyes bravely and withstood them wrapping the chains around her as Blue explained their worth. "These are the chains that your father would carry in the next life, if, by some chance, he were to die. He made them himself with every wrongdoing, with every bit of dark magic he used….and now they are yours…and with every descendant of your father who has been claimed by or has turned to the darkness…you will bear their weight as well. The pain you feel will be worse than the pain you have been feeling…and you will stay in this helpless state forever…but there is one thing that will never fade…your life is connected to his. If he were to die…than so would you…but as long as he lives, you will be in his arms…" As soon as the last chain was in place, something wonderful and strangely beautiful happened in that moment. All of the fairies disappeared and, still having the golden chains wrapped around her, a symbol, sort of a hologram, began to appear above her head. It took the form of a spinning wheel, glowing white above her head in the darkness alongside another white light symbol of a Rose. Elizabeth was instantly clothed in a white nightgown with blue markings on her arms, wrists, and cheeks and blue streaking in her hair, and her amber eyes now would glow every once in a while. As it disappeared, a small silver object seemed to appear in the grass alongside her. Rumple's hands shook as Belle rushed towards her, and the golden chains became invisible to their sight, though still there. The silver object glinted in the grass, and he bent down to take a closer look…and his eyes widened and his hands shook feverishly at what he saw "No…." he whimpered, and soon enough, as he lifted the object out of the grass…it was a small dagger not unlike his own…except for the face that the name "ELIZABETH THE GOOD" was carved into the blade. "Belle…" he choked out as he now lifted a crying Elizabeth into his arms, holding Belle close to him with the other hand. "Do you know what…this means?" Now it all did make sense….Elizabeth's eyes and hair color…her skin…why Blue had called her their firstborn child…why she had the same features as both him and Belle…why she was left to die in the wilderness…why she had extremely distant memories of being born in a dungeon…why she had magic. "Belle….she's our baby…our real blood daughter…" Memories…memories of the cell began to flood back into her mind…memories of the tiny, sickly baby that she had given birth to and how the child had gotten away…by changing into a foal…to get away from Regina. Belle pressed her forehead against his and began angrily and emotionally sobbing…and with a little bit of happiness mixed in there as well. "We have our baby….." He clutched the two closer now, for all that they had been through just for him, he would never let them go again "We have our baby…" he repeated as he held them both to him, guilt, fear, happiness, and emotion running through the imp's veins. This was all his fault…if only he had given her the life that she deserved in the first place, Elizabeth would have never have gone through this. But at the same time, all that really mattered to him now was that his family was now together…for all eternity. He began to let a few stray tears loose into Belle's hair. "I promise…I will never, ever, ever, ever…leave either one of you alone again…" Elizabeth cried almost out of happiness despite the fate that had been laid out before her, for she did not care as long as she was with her family…and would be forever. In her mind, paying the price of magic was miniscule to having had her family back…her real family. These were her real parents….her family. And so they held there until daybreak, when Elizabeth would start her eternity…and when, after the child would be able to fall asleep….the talk between the couple would come.


	25. Chapter 25-A Talk and A Nap

Chapter 25

A Talk and A Nap

They were both dumbfounded as they appeared back into the dark castle, a shaking, exhausted Elizabeth in between their arms, whimpering softly. Before anything else was said or done, little Elizabeth's needs were taken care of immediately. Rumple tried to lay her down to change her, but Belle had trouble putting her down. Rumple looked at her sadly, knowing just how she felt. He was desperately holding onto her now, afraid to let her go for one minute. Their child…their baby…had been apart from them for too long. But her needs still stood, and for what their poor girl was sacrificing for her family, they owed it to her to give her all the tender love and care she needed. "Oh my poor love…worry not…it's only for a minute." He cupped Belle's cheek and kissed her temple, both of their bodies still shaking from the shock of the news as they pressed up against each other. Elizabeth let out a cry, confused and uncomfortable from being wet and hungry, and from the ordeal in general. Belle immediately started to rock her child and whisper soothingly to her. "Okay baby…okay…don't you worry…mama and papa are here now…" Rumple nodded in agreement and started to hum as he laid the child down. He found that his clawed, golden hands shook as he was changing her…it was the least he could do for her now. Elizabeth began to calm down a little, comforted by her parent's soothing words and care. It took him much longer to change her as he usually did, for now it was as if he had forgotten how to in all of the news that now surrounded him and continuously sent his heart and mind reeling. Elizabeth couldn't even open her eyes at this point, for weakness and dizziness from the fate she accepted called for her to try to sleep….but she needed to be fed first. As Belle picked her up and held her protectively to her, Rumple made a bottle appear in a cloud of purple smoke. She had objected at first to him using magic to summon what Elizabeth needed, knowing now more than ever the price of magic, but there was no other way to feed her. They held Elizabeth between them so that she could snuggle into both of her parents as she was nursing, and that had a great effect in calming the child down. Comfort and closeness from her parents always soothed the child's pain…and now it would have to soothe her for eternity. The two parents gazed into each other's eyes as Elizabeth slowly yet steadily fed, looking up at them and enjoying the comfort and warmth. Elizabeth fed off more than milk…apparently, she also fed off the love that her parents shared between each other. Being a creature of magic, it could be said that she fed off emotions. There was nothing left but to accept that this was her fate, and now the child just focused on her parents for strength and comfort against the pain. Despite the situation, they both smiled down at her. They were utterly fascinated with their tiny daughter, the little miracle that was snuggled between their arms. Here she was…so brave and such a little fighter. She had made it all this way, braved the wilderness and bore the pain of her disease…and yet she still gave herself as a sacrifice for her family. "Our little angel…" Belle spoke softly, pressing a kiss to Elizabeth's forehead. Suddenly, the room was silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the sounds of the crackling fire and of Elizabeth's soft suckling. There were also the sounds of Rumple encouraging her to drink, for Elizabeth was still understandably quite nervous. It actually turned out that Elizabeth was so tired that she wasn't able to finish feeding. Belle stifled a giggle and Rumple smirked as they watched her fall asleep with the bottle still in her mouth. Rumple conjured up a bassinette for her to sleep in while the parents talked, which she did, soundly. Her tired snoring could be heard in the echoes of the dark castle's great room. Rumple almost wished that the child wouldn't fall asleep, for he knew now that him and his love had to discuss this all…what this meant to them. He was afraid of it, afraid of what he would hear and afraid for what was to happen next between the two of them. Ever since Elizabeth had arrived, Rumple felt for the first time in decades what it meant to be truly and utterly afraid. He also felt more loved and needed than he had ever before. Elizabeth was, undoubtedly, the best thing that ever had happened to him…and it was all thanks to Belle. In that moment, his love for her grew even deeper and more fervent. Belle, in turn, had felt the same way. She would rather live a complicated life with Rumple and have his love and the product of her love then be cooped up in a throne room among a council in a stuffy atmosphere for all of her life. The imp had given her her freedom and her baby, and most importantly…someone who would love her for her, and not for her family breeding. He nervously rocked the child back and forth by rocking the bassinette in the same motion, looking out toward the window absentmindedly. He finally got up the courage to talk first, and he cleared his throat nervously before doing so. "Belle…listen…for all of that happened…I'm so sorry…I never knew…" she sighed sadly and took his free hand in hers and looked deeply into his amber grey eyes. He felt as if he was drowning in those deep blue hues of her eyes, his heart beating like a jackrabbit's. "Rumple…I was two days pregnant…there was no way you could have known…" he looked down at the ground though, utterly ashamed. Not only had he cast Belle out, but also had, in turn, casted Elizabeth out along with her. If it weren't for his insane belief that no one in the world could possibly care about him, Belle would have stayed with him and Elizabeth could have been born into a normal life with perfect health. And no matter how many times Belle would talk him out of his guilt, he still thought about it day and night. "I suppose you're right, darling, but if it wasn't for me kicking you out off the door and into this cruel world…."she stopped him right there and continued to look into his eyes soulfully. Above all else, she hated that he constantly blamed himself. Yes, it was by measure partly his fault, but she now remembered how sickly Elizabeth was when she was born to begin with. She had been much smaller than a normal baby and didn't cry when she was born. Yet she never had the chance to even name the child before the infant shifted into a foal and escaped the clutches of the witch who had held her and her mother captive. "My love…we both are to blame. We need to stop the blame…and focus on her. She needs us now. Elizabeth has made a sacrifice for us…for both of us…and should we ever have more children…for them as well. We owe her a home now…a home without fighting or blame….Rumple, it's the least we can do for her. Please stop blaming yourself? Please?" her blue eyes looked into his pleadingly, and of course, he melted on the spot. "Alright love…alright…" inside, he would always blame himself, but he also had to remember that Elizabeth picked up on human emotion, so now he needed to keep the area around her as happy and as soft as a place as could be. And as Elizabeth cooed in her sleep, the two of them looked down into the bassinette with a soft smile. "She's a beauty, our little one…" he sighed happily and smiled at Belle, showing a small smirk along with it. "Thank goodness she's got your teeth and not mine…" She smirked in return, shaking her head softly, her reddish brown curls falling over her shoulders. "Oh no love, I think you're mistaken…" she then gestured to the little pointed canine type teeth at the corners of her mouth that were almost identical to the canines at the corners of his teeth as well. "I have to tell you dear…she took mostly after you in her looks…" Rumple agreed, pulling Belle closer to him and grinned at her "ah yes…with your personality." After a few moments of thought, he held her hands around his and they intertwined their fingers. Rumple then thought of something to give Elizabeth that every little princess ought to have. "Belle…we should show them…show them all. Everyone in this land should know that she is ours, and that our love still stands…we should present this child to the public…" She grinned at him and kissed him at once, running his hands slightly over his chest. "Oh Rumple…that's a wonderful idea…yes, I think it's time we show our little princess to the world. We should show them our pride…" she then spoke softer as she stared up in his eyes "what our love created…" He nodded and smiled with agreement, nuzzling her cheek softly but then started to pull away tiredly and playfully, just a little "You know…we should…spend some alone time together, you and I…" she smirked at him and pushed him down on the table to lay down and rest. "Devil…" she muttered and smirked, laying down on the table with him and laying her head on his chest. "But before we do anything…nap…" she said tiredly, and he agreed as he ran his hand through her chestnut hair. "Yes…I agree.." in a short time, they both fell asleep curled up beside each other, holding tight to each other as the child in the bassinette slept peacefully next to them.


	26. Chapter 26-Her Name Is Elizabeth

Chapter 26

"Her Name Is Elizabeth"

As one morning dawned in the dark castle, Elizabeth and her parents, once and for all, prepared to show to the world their family. The world had to know that his little princess was here, and that they show her the respect that she had been denied for so many long, unhappy years. And therefore, they dressed in their finest for their outing. Rumple had dressed in the outfit in which he had first come for Belle, and his beautiful Belle had on her gold dress that she had worn when she had first met him. Both had to take a moment to stare at each other, and they just stood there in awe. Here they were, yet, again, the beauty and the beast now going to pick up their child and show her to the world. It had evolved from a deal, to love…and now into a family. He looked into her eyes and rubbed her shoulders with his golden flecked hands. "Belle…you look…incredible…" her hands went to his chest and she blissfully gazed into his amber eyes with her sparkling blue ones. "Oh, this old thing?" she smirked with a teasing tone and he held her against him. Without saying anything more, he leaned forward and she met his lips, and they softly kissed for a few moments and then stared into each other's eyes once more. They breathed softly as the silence surrounded them, but then they were reminded that they had someone else…the most important person today to get ready. The sound of their waking child's helpless cries woke them out of their reverie, and Rumple smirked "I'll get that love.." Belle shook her head softly and smiled "No…please Rumple…I..didn't even get to feed her when she was born….let me take care of this one…or at least let us do it together." He nodded in agreement, for he realized that Belle had been denied so many of the experiences he had with their precious baby girl. They held hands as they walked into the nursery, and as Belle immediately scooped Elizabeth up out of the crib. Both of them cooed over her as Belle started to feed her with the bottle that Rumple had conjured up. Belle regretted that she never had a chance to breastfeed her child, her firstborn, but Elizabeth made it feel as close to that as possible, sensing that it would make her mother happy. She lay up against the exposed flat of Belle's shoulder, cuddling into her as if she was really nursing. After they had finished feeding and then changing her, Rumple brought out a special dress for today's events: a long pink dress with diamonds sewn into the bottom skirt of the dress. It was a dress fit for a princess…a royal child. The outcasts were now going to proudly proclaim their love and the birth of their child. Elizabeth could sense something was going on and looked up at her parents. "Papa? Mama? Where are we goin'?" Rumple smiled and stroked her hair as Belle dressed her gingerly and carefully. "I'm going to show you to the world…I'm going to show my pride and joy…" She tilted her head to one side as they picked her back up and held her between them as they walked out of the castle. As soon as they hit the village, they eyes were all on them…not only was the imp here with that strange, tiny girl, but also, the lost princess was at their side. Rumors had already been passed around that Elizabeth was, in fact, his real daughter. And now, as the townsfolk stared at them in bewilderment, they could see that not only was this child his, but also, that "poor woman" who had become "his captive" was in fact the mother. It could be clearly seen by her reddish brown hair, golden flecked skin, grey eyes that sometimes seemed to have a blue hue or that of an amber hue depending on the light that hit them. She had even inherited her father's tiny size compared to other people, being only two feet high even though she looked like a young teenager in the face. The only thing that seemed different was that the child had those strange blue markings on her arms and cheeks and some blue-tinted hair on the tips of her reddish brown mane. What puzzled them, though, was Belle's happiness with him and the child's happiness as well…and there were some who saw the little imp as a threat…another little Rumple in the making. Anyone who dared to look at her or his love in the wrong way got a threatening, menacing stare from him that could pierce the very heart and freeze the very soul. Before anyone else could utter a word, the imp stood firm in the village square, Belle on his arm and Elizabeth in the other. She herself seemed to be no longer afraid or shy of these people, and seemed to be holding her little head up high now. She was different now…before she had just been a sickly orphan who was lucky enough to be adopted by who she thought was the kindest, sweetest, and most magical man in the world. Now? She was the offspring of a princess and the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms, and she couldn't have been more proud. She hung on to him as he climbed a tree stump so he stood above the square, looking down on the people around him. He had been called a vile creature, a beast and a monster, but now he was the father of a remarkable child, one who had been through so much, and still had the bravery to take a sacrifice in order to stay with and save her family. He was the father of a heroine, even if the rest of the world viewed her as a mistake and an invalid. He himself now had to have the courage to stand up above the rest to show this amazing child to the world…she was his…the product of him and his true love. Taking a deep breath, he shouted above so that they could hear. "Look here! There is now a heroine among you…she will not be slandered…she is to be respected…she is the product of true love, and the pride and joy of her mother and father. She is the princess of the dark castle, and my heiress….this is my daughter…" Elizabeth blushed from all these titles and looked back at him in confusion, before he held out the child out above the crowd, holding his hands under her arms so that he could hold her above the bewildered audience before them. They looked up at him in bewilderment, confusion, and…a hint of fear existed in them as well. It was not so much in fear of the child…but they were afraid of him. Many of them, conscious of what insults they had said about the child, about her disease and her love for him in general, did not know how much of it he had heard. And he had definitely heard all of it, but one look in Belle's eyes prompted him to be forgiving. They had judged the child for far too many things out of her control, and now they trembled in fear for what the wrath of the dark one would be to those who had insulted and sneered at his little bundle of joy. He may have been the loving father when she was with him, but they saw the side of him that Elizabeth never saw…his darkness. As Elizabeth gazed upon the crowd gathered around her, they finally saw her for who she really was, for a great many of them saw the kind, gentle, and loving look in her little eyes. And perhaps maybe this was the reason that no one in town died because of a bad deal with Rumplestiltskin. And that's when everyone came to the final realization: Elizabeth was the girl who tamed the beast. She was a heroine and an angel, and many other wonderful things…her only defect being an incurable illness which lasted her for eternity. Those who slandered her for being cared for like a baby now saw that she deserved and needed that kind of care. Even though her father was a creature of darkness…she was truly the opposite, a creature of light. Even though her skin was pale, even with the golden flecks, light seemed to radiate around her, a white glow surrounding her at all times. Belle stood proudly beside him as well, her arm looped around his waist and her head held up proudly. "And I am her mother!" A hush fell over the crowd, for they knew that lady Belle was his servant, but they could have never have admitted that this beauty and the beast actually had feelings for each other…more than that…they had produced this remarkable child together. Among the silence, a weak, curious voice spoke above the crowd, still shaking from the fright of being near him. "Doesn't she have a name?" Rumple smiled and drew the child close to his chest, fingering Elizabeth's little cheek with his wiry fingertips, drawing Belle closer as they looked down at her with the utmost tenderness and loved that parents could ever offer to a child. Both Belle and Rumple spoke up at the same time "Elizabeth…." Rumple finished her sentence, beaming with pride as he looked into his daughter's eyes. "Her name is Elizabeth…." All that happened that had lead Elizabeth here was in the past, for she was now here with them. Nothing else mattered any longer. And as he looked into her little amber grey eyes, so full of love for him and pride for belonging to this family, he was lost in his own little world with her once again. "Papa loves you so much…" It would prove that even though their bond was already much stronger than any bond, and the love that father and daughter shared with each other was already quite powerful, they had even more room to bond now.


	27. Chapter 27-The Hall of Mirrors

Chapter 27

The Hall of Mirrors

Now that the child was more like him than ever before…although she was a more pure, light version of himself, he figured that he might as well show her what he did for a living in terms of the art forms of magic that he pursued and practiced. He didn't expect to see her practice any of it, though, because Elizabeth was simply too weak and helpless to ever execute one of those powerful spells. Just saying a single incantation of his powerful spells would cause the poor dear to be asleep for days, yet, he figured that he could at least entertain the child with it and give her something else to watch besides the spinning crystal mobile that hung over her head as she lay in her nursery. He assured the now worried mother Belle that she would not practice dark magic as he did, but would remain in the light instead. She was a creature of light, and was obviously meant to be so from the very beginning…unless you could not tell from the white glow that surrounded her at every waking moment. Picking up the tiny girl in his arms, he smiled down at her as she instantly snuggled into his chest. "Here my dear…papa wants to show you something…" he cooed, smiling at her as he disappeared with her in a cloud of purple smoke and then reappeared in his laboratory. He had been afraid to take the child with him into here before she earned her immortality…afraid that being around magic would only make matters worse and that the child would become even worse with the use of it. "You want papa to show you what he does for a living, yeah?" he cooed as he watched her. Elizabeth was looking around the room with her curious little grey eyes, sniffing the stale air in hopes of scenting the room. Ever since the wild, she had been able to sense her surroundings just by scent. She looked around with curiousity at the circular stone room, all the shelves of books and all of the shelves of the vials of potions and their ingredients. He couldn't help but feel incredibly proud at the way she was looking at everything…it was the same look he first got when he could see what his powers could do. He was convinced that the child he knew held in his arms was a more pure version of him. He could see that thrill of magic in her little eyes…and perhaps, he thought, as he carried her around the room to see everything…that children were the most prone to learning magic because they had the greatest capacity to believe in it. Of course, Elizabeth in herself was a special case, being his daughter and being able to be young forever, but she of all people had the most potential to learn magic…it was a good thing she was pure of heart and claimed by the light. For Elizabeth was the most innocent creature he had ever laid eyes upon, and light seemed to even glow around her skin. She was, literally, by the laws of magic incapable of using magic for dark purposes. The magic that she could use was harmless. And so, he thought, there would be no harm in exposing her to it. He set her down in a basket that he had conjured up for her and then stood back, dramatically waving his hands and making sparks fly through the air like fireworks, the colored light spraying across the ceiling and bouncing off the walls. And of course, Beth's eyes widened with wonder and she grinned and giggled "whoa…." He smirked and started to conjure up a rose within his free hand and offered it to his little girl. Lizzie took it gently and smiled up at him "Thank you, papa!" He nodded with a grin "yes my dear…I can conjure up anything you desire…" he waved his hands dramatically in the air and smiled proudly at her. "Well…you can do it too, actually….wanna try it?" he didn't want to pressure her…but would give her the opportunity to use it even if it was only for the purpose of entertaining herself and to give her a distraction when the pain became too difficult to bear. She looked puzzled now…for she couldn't think that she could do anything. "But…papa…my…condition…" he smiled and shook his head softly "Oh don't worry baby girl…all you need is to wave your hands a little and just concentrate about what you wanna do…" he smiled reassuringly. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought about the one thing she loved besides her family…horses. And then she thought of their beauty and how much of a treasure her herd was to her. She could now feel a warming sensation coming through her cold, clammy hands that she had never felt before, even when controlling water as her magic permitted him to do. She then felt a weight in her trembling hand, and a smooth surface of the object she was holding. She blinked and opened her eyes, and to her surprise, a glass horse was now in her hand. It was beautiful and clear, sparkling in the light like a rare gemstone. Her little jaw practically dropped and Rumple donned a proud grin. "That's my girl….want to try it again?" She grinned and nodded happily, for she was definitely starting to like this whole magic thing….like father…like daughter. And as he looked at her being so interested in practicing magic and what her father did for a living, his face practically beamed with pride. What was surprising to him was that this little tiny runt was just as good at using it and for the right reasons as most of his students were(for nowadays, he had a great many of them). She may have been just a baby, but she was pretty good with those trembling little hands of hers. Sad as it was, society had something to thank that Elizabeth was as helpless as a newborn. He began to formulate in his head that Elizabeth would be as powerful…even more so…as him…if not for this dreaded curse. She was so easily attracted to magic…and the fact that she used it only for good made him smile. Elizabeth had soon, to her great delight, conjured up another glass animal, this time, a cat. If she kept on going like this, he would have to set aside one room in his castle for all of her little creations, which he was happy to do. As Elizabeth continued to conjure up things, he noticed that she could only conjure up things made of glass, gold, and precious stones. He was curious about this for a moment, and then a thought came into his mind: because she was the product, and the personification of true love, she could only conjure up harmless items of great beauty…for true love, Belle had told him a number of times was the most beautiful thing in the entire universe. And so, the items in which she conjured followed suit in that same pattern. Needless to say, he started in on making her display room right away. Elizabeth soon became tired after using so much magic and slept in the crook of his arm as he did so. The room he had chosen was large indeed, and with his magic, he had covered the entire room in mirrors, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting different colored light on the glass shelves and display tables covering the surface of the entire room. He had enchanted it so that every new thing that she conjured up would end up here on it's own, for her viewing pleasure anytime. It was also another way for him to show the queen who was who in terms of magic…just to show her that the child she had once hunted down and made bow down to her…the "little lame girl" that he had taken in…had more powerful magic than her. He wanted her to know that this was his daughter's handiwork. And the thought never left his mind of what he might do to her to pay for all that she had done to his family. The woman had locked away Belle, causing his poor love to have their child in a filthy prison cell and then caused the child herself to have to survive in the wilderness all those years, the witch breathing down the tiny girl's neck. No wonder she was so sick and so far beyond repair. Ultimately, he knew it had been all his fault…but not having the emotional strength to take that blame and accept it, he chose to focus on Regina's role in what had happened to his family. As he looked at all of the mirrors, he smirked and whispered a message in a sing song voice into the mirrors. "you see, dearie…you can't beat me. Try all ya like…but you couldn't fool me. And yes I know…I know everything..I know what you did to Belle…to my baby…and so you did those terrible things to me as well. Let me tell you something, pet…do anything like that again…" their was a slight snarl in his voice as he smirked into the mirrors, as if he was getting in Regina's face. "If you even think about touching one hair on their precious heads ever again…well…I have a special fate in mind for you, my dear…" he smirked and giggled quietly, mindful not to wake Elizabeth as he silently padded out into the hallway once again. His ultimate revenge against Regina? Bide his time…let her stew in her own juices and feed off her own fear of his plan for her….while he just sat back and watched her squirm from the psychological warfare. Regina would drive herself crazy, he thought, as he carefully got in bed beside a sleeping Belle and put Elizabeth in between them. He would give anything right now…just to see her facial reaction to his threat. As he giggled and snorted in the process, Elizabeth smirked a little in her sleep. "Who asked your opinion…." He teased as he now thought of something else that they might have in common…perhaps Elizabeth could spin straw into gold like him too?


	28. Chapter 28-Spinning

Chapter 28

Spinning

To discover the answer, the imp took the child to the wheel one morning. He had held Elizabeth by the wheel before, even had let her help him as much as she could, handing her the wool to hold in her weak, trembling, yet so desperately wanting to help hands. Yet, he never conceived that Elizabeth would be able to spin like that. Poor little thing, he thought, she probably couldn't even have the strength to move the wheel. However, he could probably help her out if she wanted to try, just let her put her hands on the wheel and then he would push it. It was more for her sake that he wanted to teach her how, for Elizabeth probably wanted to have another thing to distract her from the pain…and he couldn't think of a better way. All of his pain…all the burn and frost of burning and frigid memories had been forgotten, if only for a few brief hours at the spinning wheel, his eyes fixated on the flow of the gold and not upon the problems that caused him to spin so often. If he could not take away her pain….he would distract her from it and soothe it. And so, he sat by it now on his usual stool, Elizabeth in his lap while Belle was having a field day in the library. He hadn't seen before how much Belle had loved it…and missed it…but now he was seeing a lot more of what the darkness that had taken over him had screened out before. Everything seemed just a little more beautiful, the skies a little clearer and the grass a little greener. No longer was his future just a swirling vortex of darkness…not with his two ladies back in his life. Looking down at Elizabeth, who had happily snuggled into him and settled there in his lap, he could never help the constant grin that he carried upon his lips. So long as he carried the child with him…he carried that smile. Noticing her wince from her usual pain, though, he was jerked back to reality. He would do anything to take away that expression from her delicate face…and so he asked Elizabeth if she wanted to try. She herself was nervous at first, not knowing if she was strong enough. Looking at the wheel tentatively, she mouthed "papa…." He rubbed her back soothingly and gave her a reassuring gaze into her eyes. "Sweetheart….I know you can do it…you may be very weak and you may not even be able to feed yourself…but that doesn't mean you can't do anything. Just look at all those beautiful statues in your hall of mirrors…those didn't just appear by themselves, dearie…" she smiled and blushed now, looking back up at him. "Worry not, papa will help you out…" he kissed her cheek and lifted her up a little bit, so she could place her tiny hands on the wheel. "That's it, sweetie…" he cooed and then started to help her move the wheel. He nearly jumped at how much she reminded him of himself in that moment….as if he was staring right into his own reflection. Here was someone just like him: purer, but still just as broken, and looking for the slightest thing that would bring solace…even if it was staring at the wheel. He didn't even have to tell her how to put her emotions into her spinning, as he did with Cora, because Elizabeth had it within her. She was a natural at it. He noticed something curious though, about the result. He could don a proud grin, because Elizabeth was not only able to spin straw into gold….but there was three strands that came from the wheel this time, not just one. One strand was gold, like his…one strand was silver…and one strand was copper. It was just another show of how powerful she would have been, if not for her dreaded sickness. And he hated to think so, but it was probably for the best that she was too weak to have that kind of power…not only would it be a terrible burden on her…but she would be too powerful for the world to handle. He had surmised that all of this eternal power came from both the fact that he had passed his powers down to her, and the fact that she was the product and personification of true love…which was the most powerful magic of all. Perhaps that was the blue fairy's and Regina's intention all along when they had done to her what they did: to contain her power out of whatever motivation they had. He knew though, that only one motivation gripped Regina to do so: she feared that Elizabeth would overpower her, and defeat her once and for all. It was better in his mind, to be quite honest, that she could never use the power that she was born with. It would be a terrible, horrible burden for any child to bear, and so would rather be getting up in the middle of the night to bottle feed and comfort the poor dear or changing her diapers when she needed him to do so instead of trying to control her power or potentially lose her to it. For he saw her face whenever she spun...his face was echoed in it. Her eyes were transfixed on the wheel, almost in a trance. And that's when Belle walked in, a book under her arm. The sight of him teaching her how to spin was so beautiful and touching. It made her smile widely and warmly as she came over to him and suddenly wrapped his arms around him and her. "well hello there you too…." She kissed both of their cheeks and pulled over another stool, sitting beside him. "You two….are so adorable together." If Rumple could blush from Belle's closeness, he would have…and her hand was on his knee. He was thanking the heavens that his golden flecked skin couldn't show his blushing as much as an average human being, though, with his luck, Belle could see it….and she did. It had earned him a kiss on the cheek and she had pecked her tiny daughter's forehead as any mother would, stroking her cheek. "Hello sweetheart…" she whispered tenderly, giggling as she mouthed her finger. It was just a reflex due to damaged nerves, but it looked more and more adorable with every occurance. "Well my dear….it looks as if our daughter takes right after me…." He purred "…as far as magic goes, of course. Otherwise, she's all you…." Belle smirked and shook her head, continuing to let Lizzie suck on her finger, for the amount of pain that this child experienced, it was the least that could be done to comfort her. "Oh my dear Rumple….the minute I saw her in your arms I knew she was yours….her smile…her eyes…the way she tilts her head…her skin…the magic…she's you…." He playfully kissed Belle's nose and in return, Elizabeth settled in his one arm and Belle moved over to sit on his lap, opening her book to read. As Elizabeth resting in the crook of his arm and Belle sitting in his lap, he reached to keep on spinning the wheel. He couldn't figure out how Elizabeth was able to spin more than gold out of straw and he only could spin gold. He shrugged and kept on spinning. He noticed Belle starting to get drowsy from reading, as most people usually got drowsy from hours of reading. And why not? It was a rainy day anyway, and the air was raw outside. The rain was pelting the windows of the dark castle, it's soft sound echoing throughout the room. Anyone would be falling asleep at that sound. He smirked at Belle, her head rested up against his shoulder and kissed the side of her head. Elizabeth, however, needed to be fed before naptime, and so he quickly conjured up a bottle. Even he still didn't know how he managed to spring a free hand in order to feed her while still holding them both close to them. The soft sound of the rain on the window echoed throughout the great room, making the only other sounds inside of it the sounds of Elizabeth feeding from the bottle and Belle's now soft snoring. He lovingly gazed down into Elizabeth's eyes as she nursed, listening to the new sounds echoing in this castle. Little over a year ago, this place was more like a graveyard than a castle, for the stone fortress had no sound in it, the portrait of abandonment. It was as if it embodied death…and the lost dreams of the man who lived within these walls. Now, the entire castle seemed to be alive, breathing along with it's inhabitants. Instead of looking deserted and covered with dust, it was filled with color and light. And all because of this tiny, sweet little thing that lived so close to his chest. The child had transformed his life and turned it upside down, but also had saved it. She truly was his salvation, his hope, and his heart. No one could guess the love that he had for this tiny little life that he held in his hands. She may have depended on him constantly for physical and emotional care, but he, truth be told, was more dependent on her. He couldn't imagine life without her now, and anywhere he went without her seemed intimidating and unwelcome. It was as if he didn't feel secure without the child wrapped in his arms. To have someone that looked up at you in pride and unconditional love no matter what you did was an incredible feeling. Elizabeth seemed particularly cold today, and even the warmth of both of her parents wasn't enough to keep the poor child warm. He had wrapped her up in two or three blankets, but he still wanted to give her the extra security and warmth she needed, so he slid down his vest a bit so that Elizabeth could cuddle up against his bare skin while she nursed. She could also hear his heartbeat a little more this way. Afterwards, he rocked the little thing to sleep and then smiled, starting to feel tired himself. It wasn't long before he fell asleep along with them, feeling thankful for his new family.


	29. Chapter 29-The Benefactor

Chapter 29

The Benefactor

Elizabeth, though, had even more to amaze them. It wasn't just her powers that were truly incredible…it was her personality and general love for mankind as well. The race that had once pursued, hunted down, and treated her in an absolutely shameful manner, proved to be forgiven by her and treated with the utmost kindness by her. And it came to be known that conjuring and spinning wasn't the only thing she could do with her powers. The point of people knowing just how loving and what a friend to humanity Elizabeth was happened one day in the market. Rumple would take Elizabeth out for fresh air every now and then, especially now that it was late spring. Poverty in the village in the valley below the dark castle was at an all-time high. Women and children were begging in the streets, and many were homeless from the previous harsh winter. Crops were dried up…the entire situation was daunting, and even though little Elizabeth could no longer feel the effects from her great home, she knew how they felt. She more than anyone else knew what it was like to be hungry…to be alone…and to be desperate. She had survived six long years alone in the wilderness, and it had seemed like much longer due to the way she had aged. It was why she had become so sick, and even after she was brought into this wonderful new life of hers, she vowed to never forget the hardships she had gone through in order to help those still in need. Seeing their desperate faces broke her sensitive heart. She wished she could help them all…and maybe she could. The riches she spun she could never spend, and her papa could conjure anything that she desired. Only dragons, she thought, hoarded their treasure…and Elizabeth was no dragon. What she did next was as much as a surprise to her father as anyone else. Bags of gold began to appear in her tiny little hands. She looked up at him pleadingly to help her toss them, for she weak and needed his help to do so. Knowing right away, exactly what his daughter had planned, he blinked a moment and whispered "Are you sure, dearie?" she nodded with determination in her eyes. "papa…look at them…that…used to be me…." She whispered back, and then he understood. He couldn't help the pride that was welling up within him. When he first got his power…that's all he was concerned about…power…power and getting more of it. Yet, she was thinking of what she could do to help people and use her power for good…something that he had always neglected to do. Perhaps she was making up for all of his wrongdoings, and this was why he didn't get why people didn't respect Lizzie. Yes, she needed care that was quite different from other people, and she was different all around from other people, but they wished they could be even half the person she was. He was in proud awe of this child that he had brought into the world, and the more he saw her, the more he saw Belle in her…thank goodness, Belle had passed her goodness down to her. She saw the brightened, happily crying faces of those who the gold landed to, and they were just as surprised as he was. Could this gold be coming from the deal making imp himself? No…he always asked for something in return. Yet, there was only him and one other person who possessed this kind of power….his child. Elizabeth…the "little lame girl" as they had called her, had ended up being their benefactor.

Elizabeth did other things for the people of this village as well, and some of her last powers that she had to display had revealed themselves. This was a bad year for the farmers of the region. The crops were dry and brittle, burned out by the sun. There was a drought as well, no rain had fallen in about a month. The ground was cracked and dry not unlike skin during the harshest of winter months. And when Elizabeth heard of this and saw that the villagers were starting to run out of food, she decided to see just what her powers over water could do. She concentrated hard…very hard. She now had to think of the saddest thing that had ever happened to her…it seemed to rain whenever she was upset…magic is about emotion, so in order to make it rain…she had to get emotional. She could think of the perfect moment: Regina had once cornered her in the middle of an open field, in front of a bunch of villagers. She had asked her to bend down and kiss her boots…in front of the entire town. Just thinking about it made her cry…and to pile on top of that she also needed her father to take care of her and he was busy with a dealer. And so, she started to cry…she cried for at least fifteen minutes. The sound of the falling rain could be heard pelting the castle windows as well, and the fields were soaked with her tears. Only a week later, and the farmers were talking about a second growing season. But it did puzzle them, since the rain had fallen out of a clear blue sky with no clouds in sight. There could be only one conclusion: magic. And they knew just who's magic it was: their benefactors. As soon as the flowers grew, bouquets could be seen left on the doorstep for the little witch, along with quilts made by the town's women and wooden and stuffed toys made by the town's toymaker. And yet, what Elizabeth gave to the town had still not shown itself. There was a schoolteacher in the town whom was greatly respected, and who had become ill with pneumonia. Everyone knew that the day had come for him to succumb to his illness, and there was no other choice but for his family to call for help. They, with heavy hearts, thought about summoning Rumplestiltskin, but they would owe him in the end. But there was…one other option. "But…how could she heal someone when she couldn't even heal herself?" one person was heard to say, but the other replied "it's our only chance…she never asks for anything in return…and if she does…well…she'll be more lenient than him." And so, they started to summon the little creature to them. It had become known that all you would have to do to summon Elizabeth was to say her name three times…not one, not two, but three times in a row, and she would just appear either in your arms or in the nearest bed or chair, and unfortunately for her sometimes, on the ground or the floor next to the person. And Elizabeth found that, if it was a worthy cause, she could never turn anyone down or ask for anything in return except their friendship and loyalty….and maybe care afterwards, due to using an exhausting amount of magic. And so they called out her name three times, and sure enough, she appeared among them in one of their arms looking utterly confused. "well hi there…." She looked around and sniffed the air as she always did when she was somewhere new "w…where am I…" she asked quizzically, her nose going a mile a minute. The voices of her "clients" were panicked and pleading, begging her to help them. "Please miss, you must help us…there's a man that's very sick…." "please…we'll give you anything…" her eyes widened as she saw the poor man lying there, gasping out every breath as if it were his last…she more than knew about that. "I…I dunno…I never healed…" "Please…try…" she bit her lip nervously as they placed the small, tiny girl beside the man. Tenatively, she touched his hand. Her heart started to beat faster and faster. It was so cold and stiff already….though she could still feel a pulse(she had learned how to take her own pulse in the wilderness). She closed her eyes and spoke the words that came to mind….out of nowhere:

_"I plead the earth, the wind, and sky,_

_Don't let this poor man die!_

_Give me the power to heal and reverse,_

_This poor creature's awful curse,_

_Let what has been lost been returned to me,_

_And let all illness heal and leave this body!" _

Their eyes widened at the sight they beheld next. Her eyes began to have a blue glow, along with the spinning wheel charm around her neck and the strange blue markings on her body. Within seconds of the incantation, the man opened his eyes and sat upright, and then ran into the arms of his family. The people around them looked at each other, bewildered. Such a weak, frail, sickly child…and she saved the life of someone on their own deathbed. Needless to say, every sick person that she could find was in her debt that spring….and her payment that she requested: a hug. All she wanted…all she ever wanted was to be held or shown affection. She had done so much for that village and the surrounding village that everyone knew how to summon her and almost everyone wanted her as a guest in their home. She was said to bring good luck to whichever household she visited, and what was said was true. In exchange for taking care of her, she would often leave a bag of gold coins, a beautiful glass or precious stone statue, or even make it rain over their crops or heal one of the household's sick or injured. No two ways about it…they had been wrong about Elizabeth when they had judged her upon seeing her the first time, being carried through the village in her father's arms…very wrong.


	30. Chapter 30-Down The Rabbit Hole

Chapter 30

Down The Rabbit Hole

There were eight wonderful years of this, in which she lived a happy, stable life with her family. Whenever she needed them, her parents were always there to take care of her, and they would often be in the same bed together to sleep. She would also have frequent visits from her uncles…until the last year when her Uncle Jefferson had suddenly disappeared. This was sad news indeed…but nothing compared to what awaited her. For, all good things must come to an end. In the volatile world that Elizabeth lived in…a stable life was never an option. Misfortune bears upon us all like a stampede coming towards us…we can barely hear the sound of the herds in the distance….though some of us can. And those of us who can…sometimes cannot do anything to stop it from happening. Such was the case when her papa made a deal with a young woman named Cinderella. The minute she saw that girl, she smelled trouble. And because of her scenting abilities, she could actually smell danger whenever she was near her. It really didn't make that much sense to her either. She didn't look like a mean or evil person…she actually seemed very nice. But there was something about her that Elizabeth could sense was off. And she tried to warn Rumple over and over again about it….he never listened. "Sweetheart, she's nothing to worry about…" he would assure her, but every time he said that, she caught him looking away from her with a guilty expression on his face, as if he couldn't look at her in the eye and live with himself at the same time. One thing she was sure of…he was acting strange. Belle noticed this too and had tried to talk to him about it, but he simply muttered that it was nothing to worry herself about. Then one night, he did the strangest thing of all. When Elizabeth was finally asleep, a white rabbit with a watch and a waistcoat appeared in the nursery. "You…sent for me?" Rumple nodded in his direction, holding the child close as If it was the last time she would ever see her. "Yes…remember that favor you owe me? Now's the chance to pay it up, dearie…" as if on instinct, he gulped and held his ears. "No no no…listen….I'm…going away…for a while…and I need you to take this child and her mother to wonderland in my absence." "But…why?" "In nine month's time….the queen will enact a curse of my own design that will take us all to a land without magic….and in order for her to do that…a client is going to imprison me tonight, and I need to make sure that Belle and Elizabeth will be safe until it's time for us to go." The rabbit shook his ears slightly and asked of him again "But you? A land without magic….why?" Rumple sighed "I need to find my son." He placed Elizabeth in a basket and covered her up in her favorite pink blanket, and even put in a silk shirt of his to give the basket his scent. "Just….give me a moment alone with her…." Having said goodbye to Belle earlier when she was asleep, he now had to say goodbye to Elizabeth. It may only be for a year…or it may be for twenty eight years…either way…he had to give her her best chance. And that, right now, was not with him. When they were in this new land together, then he would have the white rabbit return Belle and the child to his prison cell, so that they could be under this curse as a family and still have each other….but for now….they would have to go into hiding until the day that the curse would hit. "Love…." He began, peering into the basket. "Papa…has to go away for a little while. This nice rabbit is going to take you and mama to Uncle Jefferson….we may be apart for a bit of time….but I'll always be with you either way. We'll have a new home, all of us together as a family..and we're going to find your big brother….." he began to tear up at his point, being careful not to wake her all the same. Seeing her cry would only make this harder for the both of them. "I…I love you…so much….and I am so, so…sorry.." He placed a soft, light kiss on her forehead and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, appearing once again in front of Cinderella. He had his flask now clutched in his hands, shaking as he took a drink…if anything would keep him from backing out…this would. Needless to say, the castle was in upheaval the next morning. Soldiers had indeed come for Belle and the child…but not the soldiers that were expected. The soldiers that had laid siege to the castle were wearing black armor and carrying the standard of the wicked queen herself. The witch had taken advantage of the fact that Rumple was now unable to protect his love and his child, and so tried to snatch them both. "RABBIT, DIG YOUR HOLE!" Belle screamed as Elizabeth's cries of desperation and fear came screeching from the basket. The sound of the soldier's marching could be heard up and down the corridors, and this was their only chance of escape, indeed. "Rumple…" was all she could whimper out before trying to fight the soldiers that had run amok in the room, trying to take both her and the child away. Belle, the brave soul she was, tried to fight them off, but capture was inevitable. Elizabeth tried to fight using her magic, but her magic was white and so was useless in this kind of a situation. She tried to shift into a horse, but since the new moon was nowhere near that time of the month, that also proved fruitless. They had grabbed Belle and had her captured before she could even scream, but she managed to make one more pleading cry…to the white rabbit. "Rabbit! Take the baby to wonderland!" "Rumple said to take you both!" "Leave me! They've already got me, don't let them take my baby!" she sobbed out and then, looking at Elizabeth who was screeching bloody murder at the guards and Belle who was doing the same thing, he quickly dug a hole in the wall until a swirling blue vortex appeared. Without hesitation, the rabbit jumped in, landing in the middle of a field in wonderland. Elizabeth could only choke out sobs, her eyes widened and a dumbfounded expression written all over her face. Angry and sorrowful tears streamed down her pale features, and she started to mournfully cry. Her father and her mother had been taken away in one day by royals….and helpless, weak little Elizabeth was left all alone to fend for herself once again. Her furious cries filled up the air, for she had come so far only to have the good life and the loving family she always wanted taken away from her in the span of twenty four hours. Not only that, but she was in a new, strange land that just wasn't her home. Then again, nothing was ever home without her father there. She didn't know exactly what she felt or what she thought right now. It may have been sadness, anger, grief, hopelessness, or a combination. All she knew was that what she had worked so hard to find had left her now…and she was all alone again. Poor rabbit tried to explain things to her…but she didn't want to hear a word of it. All she knew was that her parents were both captured, and she, a helpless, sick child was left to fend for herself. And her parents, who were suffering…she could do nothing to save them. She cried until her tears could not come back, and so it rained upon wonderland for at least two days. The rest of the way to Jefferson's cottage, she just fell silent, not strong enough to say anything or even open her eyes because she was so worn out from such a sorrowful situation. She tried to sleep as much as she could, for that was the only thing that could take the edge off the pain. Upon reaching Jefferson's cottage, Rabbit left the basket on the doorstep with a note given him by Rumple himself to put in it, which read:

_"Jefferson, my dear old friend…_

_The time has come for me to find my son. Elizabeth, as you are well aware, cannot come with me. If you're reading this without Belle standing beside you, it is my greatest fear that Regina has once again taken her prisoner. In this case, I need you to repay your debts to me by granting me this one final favor. Please take care of my child, until it is time for her to return back to me. When it is time for the queen to cast the curse, than she can come back and find me, for now, she needs to remain in hiding. Please keep her safe and warm, and provide her with the love and attention she needs. I have already sent a large amount of gold to Grace and her foster parents to make sure that she will want for nothing. I ask the same of you for my daughter. From father to father, I hope you will understand. If you're unable to care for her, send her to someone who can. The last thing I want is for Elizabeth to suffer more than she already has. From one father to another please help me…you have always been like a brother to me, and so I trust you above all others. In this basket is everything you need. By magic, the care supplies will refill by themselves, so you need not worry about replacing them. Thank you, my friend, and I will see you in the new land. _

_Sincerely _

_Rumplestiltskin. _

With that, a sniffling, distraught Elizabeth was left on the doorstep of the mad hatter's shop, hoping and praying that this was somehow all just a terrible nightmare. To alert her uncle that she was out here, her soft, mournful cries sang a bittersweet melody amongst the tall grass.


	31. Chapter 31-In Hiding

Chapter 31

In Hiding

Jefferson had to do a double take, for a moment, as he looked down at his distraught adopted niece curled up in a basket on his stoop. "L..Lizzie?" he asked tentatively and then blinked for a moment, just looking at her. The questions swam through his head like fish in a crowded bowl. What on earth was she doing here? Without anyone with her? Where was her father? Her mother? What happened to her to make her seem so upset? As he thought of all that was possible for this to happen, his eyes flew open wide and he searched for blankets for anything that could help him figure out the answer. Finally finding the letter, he opened it wide and his face faded into a frown when he saw what was written within it. The first thing he could think of: poor Elizabeth….and poor Grace. Looking at Elizabeth writhing in grief and sniffling for her father…he saw his poor Grace. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes and deeply inhaled. He hadn't been the same since he had been trapped here, everything around him had seemed to confuse him and throw him off guard. The world seemed to be closing in on him and moving away from him at the same time, and with every new failed attempt at a hat, he plunged a little further into insanity. But he was able to know what he had to do, for his friend and for Grace. He looked one way and then the other for the queen's men, for he wasn't wanted by them, but that never mattered. She would behead anyone who breathed the wrong way. If he was caught again, he wasn't sure if she would return his head this time as she did previously. One thing was for sure: he needed to hide Elizabeth from her sight; he could just imagine the bloody big head getting jealous of the child for her powers and for her bloodline. He then quickly reached down and grabbed the basket, swiftly bringing it inside. At least now, he thought…it may have not been Grace…but he at least had a feel of having a little girl again. As the poor little thing cried in her sleep again, he lifted her up into his arms and rocked her back and forth a bit. "Oh Lizzie…it's okay….it's okay…" In that moment he had forgotten all about his madness…his hats…his head was the most clear in what seemed like ages. Her head, however, was still swimming with grief and confusion. She could hear her Uncle's voice and was somewhat relieved by it, for she at least wouldn't go through this alone. She whimpered and buried her head in his chest just as she would do with her father. Clearly, these two needed each other right now. Elizabeth needed a father figure and Jefferson needed a little girl to take care of….at least until she had to go back. "It's okay Lizzie, your Uncle's here…you'll see your papa soon enough…" he ran a hand through her hair. Jefferson had taken care of her many times before, so luckily, this wasn't that much of a challenge for him. At least now he had something to focus on other than making those useless hats. He was relieved to find the supplies in the basket with her, which as he observed when he had to feed her for the first time that another full bottle instantly replaced itself. He tried to make Lizzie as comfortable as possible. There was a little cottage adjacent to his house that had been vacant for a while. And so, he made that into her temporary residence. He took some of the gold and bought her a crib and a few stuffed toys from the local merchant. He felt just as bad for Elizabeth as he did for himself, and so he tried his best to make her life here as comfortable as possible until she had to go back and also make sure she was secure and protected here with him. He had to admit, it was nice to have someone here to keep him company too, even when she was whining for him in the wee hours of the night. It wasn't without it's challenges, though, especially for the first few days. She was so distraught over being separated from her family that she was unable to even open her eyes that much…and she was either crying constantly or not even making a sound. It was especially rough when she didn't have an appetite one of the first few times he had tried to feed her. He was sitting in a chair and leaning back against it, rocking her to try to settle her enough to drink. He certainly had to coax her, for whenever he had tried to feed her she would turn her cheek away from the bottle and whimper softly. "Come on, darling…just a little for your Uncle? Please..?" It had taken him a half hour at the very least to coax her, but eventually, she started to drink. He sighed with relief that he could at least ease her pain slightly. He rubbed her head gently as he spoke softly to her…and for once there wasn't a crazed undertone in his voice. "Good girl…." He whispered softly into her ear as he fed her. And Elizabeth was more quiet than she usually was, and for good reason. She happened to sleep as much as she could too, and it seemed as if she were always sleeping. He often had to wake her up just to feed or change her. Perhaps it was the fact that she would be thinking about what had recently happened if she was awake. He could see it on her face, even though she would only look up at him or stare at the wall. He would sit down for hours at her crib and hold her hand through the rails, for there wasn't much else for him to do around the shop. He had millions and millions of useless hats that he could sell, and his heart was half broken seeing his niece drift further and further from reality. It was true to say that wonderland could make a person lose their minds…and he saw it in himself every single day. Having Elizabeth had been the best thing for him and his mind. Having a little girl to take care of again made things easier to remember. He was now responsible for a tiny, almost non-existent life that he held in his hands. It was bittersweet, for he was reminded of Grace every time he held her. But also, he now had that again, a little girl to tend to. Even when he had Grace, there were times when he had missed her being a baby, and Elizabeth definitely gave him that again. His lonely life here in wonderland was a curse at times…well, in truth, all the time. At least Elizabeth was another person, a living, breathing person in the house, even if she was crying up a storm(literally….). What soothed him the most about this was that he was no longer alone, and he had something else to focus on beside his fate. He tried to keep her crying low and would hold her constantly, even when he was making his hats…for if her majesty heard the imp child's cries and if she were aware of her being here…it would not be good. Needless to say, that crib was only used at night, when he was sure that she would be sleeping peacefully and without fear of being alone. Uncle and niece needed to constantly be with each other, for he needed a child to care for again, and Elizabeth needed a protective, affectionate male caretaker. He was wary of her magic, though, and it was yet another reason why he kept such a close watch on her. He would always call her by his favorite nickname for her: Lizzie. Even though Jefferson gave her great comfort, Elizabeth's heart still ached and pined to be with her mother and or father once more. One thing for sure: these next nine months were going to be the longest she had ever lived. She had to hide her horse form as well, and she couldn't shift and gallop around to forget about things as well. Though he did surprise her with a spinning wheel so that, in forgetting about her heartbreak, she could keep her mind off things and provide for them at the same time. It was an odd sight that could be seen: Jefferson would be making another hat holding the little thing on his lap…who, at the same time, was spinning piles of straw into gold, silver, and copper on the wheel right next to them. Even though she was supposed to be in hiding…there were some things that they couldn't control. Neither one of them could help the new moon, and soon mysterious tracks of a horse began to appear around the hat shop. There were questions about him requiring so much straw, too, and his recent new wealth. And yet Elizabeth could not help it and neither could he…because of her grief very well driving her mad, she had in the process lost control of her magic. There were so many glass animals for sale in the hat shop that Jefferson couldn't make enough hats to match that number. The rains were so frequent in the part of wonderland in which she lived that it was considered freak weather. Just like back in her homeland, wherever she was, good luck and fortune followed…and wonderland had an identical experience. Poor families had found little bags of gold on their doorstep after the night of the new moon…every single month in which it happened. As much as she tried to control herself, with her weak and grieved condition, anything could happen. No matter how calm and safe Jefferson tried to keep Elizabeth, the time away from her family was making her crazy and making her powers turn loose as a result. As Jefferson stood over her crib one night and leaned on the rails, watching the poor little thing sleep, he hoped that rumors wouldn't start to spread at who was behind all this good will. And yet, they did.


	32. Chapter 32-The Good Witch of Wonderland

Chapter 32

The Good Witch of Wonderland

Just like the enchanted forest, unfortunately, every single new happening spread like fire through wonderland. The air seemed to be buzzing with the talk of another dark one..another imp…a witch…here in the enchanted forest. Elizabeth's powers unleashed themselves without warning because of her lack of control over her hurt and heartsick emotions, and talk was bound to begin. All through the land, people who had been injured or sick for years had become healed within a hundred mile radius of the hat shop. Crops flourished like never before, and it wasn't long before people started to raise an eyebrow. True, the fortune had been great, and the small imp was posing to lead wonderland into a golden age. But people understandably wondered who…or what…was responsible for all of this good fortune. And then, there was a customer to Jefferson's hat shop…who had wandered into the cottage next to it by mistake to see the little witch asleep. He saw her powers in action, as well, for she had produced a beautiful glass mobile to hang above her crib. Even in her sleep she seemed to be using magic, without even realizing she was doing it. And so he ran out of her cottage, he wasted no time in telling his friends and neighbors about what he saw. "It's true, I tell you….she had golden skin and strange blue markings on her arms…I saw her…" "Your just as mad as the hatter himself, you know…" another remarked in derision. He shook his head readily "I saw her, I say! The little imp…she looks just like her father! And I believe that she's the one behind all of this…" "That being said…if she truly is the dark one's flesh and blood…how can we trust her?" "She's helpless…I saw her wrapped in a blanket and set in a crib like a newborn babe. And if she's truly behind all of this good fortune…then we have every reason to trust her. We've been starving for years, bathed in poverty, and all the sudden everything starts getting better with her arrival? It's got to be her…" Needless to say, neither Elizabeth or her uncle knew what to do or say when people came into the shop, wanting all to have a peek at the child, begging for healing, money, telling of the future…anything that would better their lives. Soon, there was a line a mile long to see her. Some requests, of course, she could never turn down, for Elizabeth's heart was sometimes bigger than her head and forgot that she was in hiding. Her main focus, as always, was everybody else rather than herself. Of course, she had to reassure these good people that she could only grant their wish if their intention was pure and needed. There were many a rich person who would come to her, asking for money when they clearly had enough already. One such person was a wealthy landowner. As he approached the child, he asked Elizabeth, who had her eyebrows raised at him. "Dear, kind witch…I beg of you…I need more funds to further invest in my land…for my ancestors lived there…" this, of course, was a lie….and literally being able to smell deception, she raised an eyebrow and then shook her head softly. "Sir…your ancestors…they worked hard for their wealth, and something tells me that at one point you had squandered it all. And by the way, they lived by the..sea…am I right? And…the land that you…desire…is in the plains." His eyes widened and he bowed his head in humiliation, and just to teach him a lesson, she began to look up at him and yet lecture him. "Sir, I'm afraid…I only grant requests…to those who deserve them….not spoiled little rich boys….like you. First, you lied to me…then you tried to take advantage of me…and…I know that you've been mistreating your workers and renters. You outta be ashamed of yourself…" as the man stomped out of the cottage, some of the most poor folks in line had heard him get chewed out by the imp-child. How humiliated he seemed, slinking away like a dog with his tail between his legs. And Elizabeth thought it was in good reason that he was made to feel that way. She had gotten beaten and neglected by so many people such as this in the wilderness…arrogant, selfish, spoiled humans who never thought to spare a crumb of food even though a feast was taking place inside their halls. They never knew what it felt like to be poor, hungry, or an outcast. They sat in front of their table full of food and their hotly burning hearth, while outside an orphan could starve and freeze to death as she almost did. Elizabeth thought that those who deserved wealth should be wealthy, and those who were willing to give should be able to provide a good life for themselves. It was those who ignored the needy…and made it their goal to receive even more wealth… that she had no respect for. She had become so popular to the people of wonderland, though, that her few disgruntled customers were quickly put to shame by the numbers of people who loved her. They had even started to write songs and legends about her, so that every child knew her name. Her fame spread so much that everyone in the land knew her as "Elizabeth the Good". This newfound fame though, was only a distraction from her growing heartbreak. It had been seven months…and no sign of her yet to come and find him. It broke Jefferson's heart every time he saw the heartache in her own eyes and the suffering that could no longer be concealed by her cheery voice. He knew that she had loved being here with him, and that he was her only comfort these days. But he recognized the very understandable longing look in her amber grey eyes. "Just two more months honey…they'll fly by quickly, I promise…"

Meanwhile, in a dank, dark cell deep in the mines of the dwarves, her father was clutching the bars of the cell, his eyes staring out into space. Seven months without her…seven months trapped in this stinking hell hole. All he could think about was getting Elizabeth back. Word had reached him that Belle was gone from him once again…yet he wasn't aware of where she would be or where she had gone to. All he knew was that she was apart from him, and so was their tiny daughter. She had made it to wonderland safely and was actually quite liked by the people there, but how long would she be safe? He knew the queen that now resided there…he knew her very well. One blind swoop of jealousy would cause his daughter to lose her head. He put his head in his hands as he tried to figure out how to speed this whole thing along. And so he poked and prodded Regina to get the curse over with…land without magic or not…Elizabeth needed to come back to him, and they had to go to their new home. It was the best for both of them, even without Belle by their side. He couldn't even think about it anymore…he had wanted to propose to Belle before this whole thing started…but he had thought it best to get to the new land first. Then again, he thought that Belle would be with them. His psychic abilities told him that Snow White would give an early birth…three weeks before she was supposed to come to term….which meant that she was due to give birth any day now. It was clearly the time for him to move into the next phase. With a heavy, broken heart, he summoned the white rabbit once again. "It's time…Elizabeth has to come back…we're going any day now…" The white rabbit himself, recalling no memory of Belle being captured thanks to Regina, tilted his head over. "But sir…what about the mother?" he sighed and shook his head softly "No…Belle…I will find her once we come into the new land…but at the very least, please bring Elizabeth to me. We're leaving any day now. No go….and…bring my baby home…" he watched as the rabbit disappeared into his hole, leaving the possibility of a portal right into his prison cell. In order for them to end up in the same place in the new land, he and Elizabeth had to be in contact, at the very least, holding hands. He had only hoped that she wouldn't get caught by Cora…her jealous heart would give anything to get her hands on a child of him and another woman. He could only hope that, if Cora did find out about her, that Elizabeth could escape her clutches. Despite all the issues that they still had to face, a spark of hope seeded in his heart. If he and Elizabeth could be together in Storybrooke, with both their memories intact, Belle could be found, and they could be a family once again. If not…at least he would have Elizabeth with him. "please come home dear….please come home…" he silently prayed under his breath. At that very moment, it was one of the rare times when Elizabeth was just alone with Jefferson and resting in his lap. She started to hear a voice inside of her head…her father's voice. Her breathing quickened excitedly. "Time to go home…uncle…I'm going home!" A grin came on Elizabeth's face and she took his hand in hers "And you're coming with me…rabbit will take us both…" And sure enough, there was a knock on the door…but the white rabbit was not the only one standing there. Cora herself stood there, holding the white rabbit by the ears with a smug smile. "Well…what have we here…." Elizabeth's eyes widened and so did Jefferson…needless to say…there was going to be a slight delay from Elizabeth coming back to Rumple.


	33. Chapter 33-The Curse

Chapter 33

The Curse

As Cora herself locked eyes with her, the tiny girl shivered. Her eyes were wide, and even her breath seemed to freeze. In fact, everything around her seemed to be frozen in time, leaving just her, Jefferson, and Cora locked in a stare at each other. Surprisingly, the red queen wasn't actually glaring at Elizabeth like she would have expected her to, but she stood right in front of Jefferson as she looked him dead in the eye with a smirk. "Well…trying to hide something from me, Hatter?" she chuckled darkly as she now circled him and the frightened, shaking niece in his arms. She leaned down to look into Elizabeth's eye level and fingered her chin, holding her head up some. The way she examined her was the way someone would examine a horse that was presented to her as a gift. "Why…isn't she a little beauty…someone like this…a good witch so rare…why wouldn't someone pay handsomely for her…." She was definitely panicking now, Cora's ice-cold touch feeling like the bitter winter wind against her face. It had made sense that she was Regina's mother…and the same woman who broke her papa's heart. She definitely looked like she could be the type, for Elizabeth could smell darkness on her like a wolf could smell fear. She wondered if Cora could smell her fear…for whenever she seemed to be getting more fearful, Cora seemed to be getting stronger. It seemed as if the woman fed on fear. Elizabeth had never before met such a wicked witch in all of her life. Her robes were scarlet, the color of blood, and even her title suggested to her practice of ripping a person's heart right out of their chest. Panic flooded her veins as she wondered what she would try first with her…the beheading…or the heart. But there was hope either way. As long as Cora didn't have the dagger…than Elizabeth would still live through this ordeal. However, Jefferson looked anything but afraid…he looked defiant, angry, and brave all at the same time. He clutched Elizabeth close to his chest until his snarling face was just inches away from hers. Cora had taken everything he loved from him just for being in this land and conspiring with her daughter. He may have lost his mind…but Cora had lost her sanity to her own darkness. No way in heaven or on earth, or on hell for that matter, was he going to let his truly beloved little niece to be snared in her clutches. If he couldn't make it home to Grace in time…she would make it home to her father. "Lizzie….get Rabbit…shift…get out of here…" she was still frozen in fear though, and trembling as well, from Cora's presence alone. If Regina was evil….Cora was far worse. And no way she was ever leaving him to be ensnared by this horrid queen for her sake. She loved her uncle far too much to sacrifice him to this red devil. Her glazed over eyes turned to Cora's smirk, which was nastily curving on her lips. "Well Hatter…I thought I gave you another chance not to defy me…but I was wrong, wasn't I?" she then stepped back and waved her guards on right after Jefferson. One came, an axe slowly swinging towards his neck in mid-air. Now, in her mind, that moment must have lasted for what seemed like an eternity, and yet she made a rather brave…rather unselfish…and at the same time…rather stupid decision. She may have been helpless and may have been weak, but she was sick and tired of putting up with everyone hunting her and her family, while she stood helpless in the wing. A river of pain now ran through her as she propped herself up on his arms and managed to leap…leap in mid-air…until her neck was blocking Jefferson's. All she could feel in the next few moments was a burning sensation in a ring around her neck. After that, everything went dark, and she fainted into the darkness of her unconscious. However, there was no time to lose. Elizabeth woke up in a basket inside of her own castle, and as she finally came to her senses, she saw nothing but desolation in her eyes. Her nursery, which at one time was secure, clean, and a beauty to behold to the eye had lost all of it's enchantments and it's beauty, it's contents stripped by hundreds of looters. That burning sensation on her neck was still in existence. Her shaking hand now went up to her burning neck. She then felt something there that she had never felt before…a long, thin, neat scar gracing her little neckline. The images from the last twenty four hours flashed through her confused mind….which seemed to be more confused than ever before. With a horrible realization, she now realized what had happened…in saving Jefferson, she had sacrificed her own neck..and now had her head back, it seemed. She had suffered the same fate as her uncle. But it was a good amount of time before she could stop crying…alone in her dilipated castle, nothing but a neck scar, a dagger, and a tattered pink dress to prove that she was still the dark one's princess, the good witch of wonderland, and the benefactor of all mankind. After a good deal of reasonable crying, her eyes began to come to determined, stormy look in her dull, watery amber grey eyes. "I'm coming back, papa…we're going home…" A great shudder came over her and her horse form emerged from the cloud of blue smoke, and the blue roan filly galloped out of the window of the dark castle. Her nursery was a few floors above the lawns below, however, Elizabeth was upset and determined all at the same time, and in her distress, had forgotten that not even her magnificent horse form could bridge the gap between the top of the mountain and the top of the castle. Her blindness had now led her to foolishness, and she realized this with horror, and she could feel herself sinking in midair…when behold…she now seemed to be floating among the sky, as if there were something carrying her along. It seems that, throughout the course of Elizabeth's life, even the most desperate situations were given a sliver of hope…however tiny they seemed to be. Opening her eyes, she could see a silvery reflection of herself in the lake below. The horse gave a small shriek of both fright and amazement as she saw her own reflection. Out of the roan's back were now spreading two large black, feathery wings. It seemed that her trip to wonderland, however tragic, had given her the ability to dream..and live…any possibility. As she spread her hooves in mid air, she soared and glided over the clouds as she rose over them, her feather's spreading like that of a phoenix like that had just risen from the ashes of that now stripped castle. She was a phoenix that had risen from the ashes of tragedy every single time…and never once did she cease to stop rising. The feeling of flying was incredible…the wind beneath her wings, carrying her towards freedom and towards her family, the that all familiar woodsy and alchemic scent of her father filling her nostrils. Now, she knew more than ever what to do and where to go. She neighed with a brave, happy delight. But yet, with every sliver of hope arrived even more tragedy…that's what her life seemed to echo. She had been soaring towards the cave entrance for what seemed to be an hour, and could actually spot it down below. She had dipped her wings and had started to fly down…when a sound of thunder boomed in the distance. Being a water spirit, she knew storms that could come of water…and this was no ordinary storm. And a chill ran through her spine and wings as she heard a familiar sound…a certain black queen's laughter stormed through the storm clouds, booming into the atmosphere. All at once, her heart started to race. The clouds…they were different from normal storm clouds as well…they were purplish in color, and swirling with rage like no clouds had moved before. Even the mist from them seemed to be choking the air around her. She then felt faint as she would do in her human form when she was still human. The world seemed to be spinning around her, and a chocking, burning sensation began to form into her throat. Suddenly, the pain became just as bad as it had been the first night he found her, and she found herself helplessly swirling around in the purple, black and green clouds, their raging, billowing plumes intoxicating her lungs as if they were poison. She then looked at her hooves…changing back into hands…but not imp hands…human hands..pale, skinny, the hands that she once bore when she had first been discovered in the blinding snowstorm. The rest of her body followed suit, until she was back to the sick, frail, cold, pale little thing who had squirmed in Rumple's arms until she had grown fond of him. She now realized what was happening…the magic inside of her body was being sucked right out of her, and she was entering the land without magic…without him close by her. She had flown straight into the curse, without even knowing that she was heading straight for it. She only could remain conscious for a few more minutes, and all she could hear was the queen's mad cackle…and her father's voice echoing inside her head "Elizabeth…..we will always find each other. Find me…and I will find you. I will find you…and you will find me. Hang on me love...I will always find you…" with that, she was plunged into darkness…..and into a land without magic.


	34. Chapter 34-The ICU

_Why do the good suffer in pain,_

_While the evil take their share?_

_Does anyone know about their suffering, _

_Does anyone really care?_

_Does anyone pray for the sick and the crippled,_

_Those poor unfortunate souls? _

_Or rather do they have hope for the cunning,_

_Who use unholy means to achieve their goals?_

_And those who accuse others as villains,_

_Evil from the very start,_

_Do they not know of the blackness,_

_Inside of their own cold hearts?_

_And does anyone notice their shameful retaliation, _

_Against the wrongly thus accused?_

_Their lives made miserable by their vengeance,_

_Their family abused?_

_No worse was this retaliation,_

_Than against a pawn shop owner in Maine's cold,_

_And no worse was the resulting lament and pining,_

_Than the cries of Elizabeth Annabelle Gold._

Chapter 34

The ICU

She awoke now, though she could only see the fuzzy images of her surroundings. She could feel only the ice cold air around her, or perhaps it was just her body that was cold? Regardless, it was so cold that she felt as if she had been tossed out into the snow again…but she wasn't outside. She could tell, for the sounds of nature had been replaced by much nastier scents indeed. What she could feel was both confusing and terrifying at the same time. Their seemed to be a needle stuck in the crook of her elbow, along with a bandage wrapped around the pale skin there. She had an odd feeling in her nose and throat, and as she weakly brought her hand to her face, she could feel two thin long tubes across her cheeks and inserted into her nostrils. She had seen tubes like this in her Uncle Victor's lab…but they were just something that he tinkered with to try to make sense out of, but now they seemed to be inside of her. As her vision came into focus, she reasoned that this was the strangest place that she had ever seen. The walls were a dull white and grey, and she seemed to be laying on a bed with rails…but this wasn't like the crib she slept in the dark castle, far from it. These seemed to be made of cold, shiny, silvery metal, the tubes that connected to her arms and nose coming through it. Long, mutely colored curtains hung around the area. A strange machine was hooked up to her on one side, and it seemed to beep whenever her heart took a beat. There were strange green lines on the machine's monitor that seemed to be going up and down as she breathed. Never before had she seen such a strange machine…or a strange place for that matter. She was wearing a plain, cotton gown that was tied in the back with a ribbon, and she could have sworn that it was made out of the same fabric as the curtains. There was also the matter of the strange light that hung above her bed…it seemed to require no fire at all. All this made no sense…if this was a land without magic…could it have been science that was lighting it. She always thought that they were one in the same, though, and she was more confused than ever. She glanced at her skin through her blurred vision: no more golden flecks embedded in it…it was human skin, the same pale, cold, weathered skin that she had borne when her father found her in that storm. And then she noticed what seemed to be a paper bracelet with words on it. After many minutes of trying, she finally came to her senses enough to focus on the writing and read it the best she could…and she could read only her name so far: "Jane Doe". She gave a puzzled look at that and thought to herself out loud. "But my name ain't Jane Doe…maybe this bracelet belongs to somebody else…" But she could see one thing familiar and one thing only: a familiar face that was asleep on the other side of the curtain when it was partially opened. Her eyes widened and a sudden flood of relief came over her when she instantly recognized his fair features and short brown hair. "Prince James…" she said with a weak smile, and the prince seemed to be in one of these beds…though a quite bigger bed...just like she was…and he seemed to be asleep. If anyone could help him get back to her father, it was him. He owed her papa a lot more than he cared to realize, and so could not refuse to help her find him. She said his name a bit louder, hoping that he would wake up, but no response came but his deep breathing. Then a dreaded thought came on her: if he was here just like she was….was he also sick? So sick that he couldn't wake up? It was in that moment that she realized what this place might have been. "This must be the place where the sick people live…." She thought to herself. She remembered her father's words: I will find you. After all, he must know that she would be here since she was quite sickly. But, in her opinion, this was no place for a sick person to dwell. First of all, it was too cold and too dark. And it smelled of probably horrible things that she could only surmount could make other people sick. There was no fresh air in here either. She could never understand why they kept the home for sick people like this. It obviously was designed that way, since she now could hear the moans and groans of the sick and the dying, people just like her. And it broke her heart even more just to see this and hear this as well, for her fate wasn't something that she would wish one anyone. She had been hoping for years that she was only one of the few…but now there seemed to be hundreds. "What kind…of place is this…" she breathed with terror fixed in her eyes. She was so confused and sad at the moment, that she cried out for anyone…and she meant anyone to come to her aid. "Help! Somebody…." She than lowered her head "anybody…" She then looked back to Charming's motionless face. "I wish you would wake up, your majesty…" she said sadly and played with her hands some, not knowing what to do now. No one seemed to even notice she was here, and that point was even more emphasized when she saw more people that she recognized, but never recognized who she was, or could even see her. When she saw her Uncle Victor, her heart filled with some hope, for if anyone would recognize her, surely one of her Uncles would. "Uncle Victor!" she called out to him as he passed by. He seemed to be dressed all in white now and was carrying some sort of a writing board with all kinds of colored sheets on it. He raised an eyebrow at her as he came over, and her heart sank, for usually whenever he saw her he would immediately scoop her up into his arms and tell her that she was his favorite little patient…but now he looked at her like just another strange new specimen, but there was also a sympathetic look in her eyes, as if he felt sorry for her. "I'm sorry dear…do I know you? I'm Doctor Whale..remember when I came to check on you yesterday?" Elizabeth thought of her response for a moment and lowered her eyes, tears starting to come up in them. "I guess not…" she sighed sadly as she buried her face in the pillow. "Would you like to see your chart again? Maybe it'll help you remember…" All Doctor Whale knew about her now was that she was a sick, confused young lady who had lost her mind just as much as she had lost her health. She took a deep breath and then nodded, looking to the list of different conditions that she had, and nearly dropped the clipboard out of her shaky hands:

**Contacts: None**

**Age: Unknown(Estimated to be 18) **

**Diagnoses: **

**Dwarfism **

**Episodic Ataxia**

**Hemophilia**

**Asthma **

**Schizophrenia**

**Paralysis **

**Stomach Ulcers**

**Broken Right 4****th**** Rib**

**Fractured Right Shin and Ankle**

**Note: Tests being run for possible Tuberculosis**

She couldn't read anymore, and so gave the clipboard back to him with a shudder. No wonder she had nearly died in the wilderness…anyone would with her conditions. She didn't even know what half of those words meant, but by the look of some of them, she could tell that they were pretty bad. She was almost thankful that she didn't know what they meant, or she would be in a panic mode right about now. Just looking at those words, that's all she could do was to keep herself from crying….which she didn't want to do anymore than she had to, and she was going to. She thought to herself for a while as she stared up at the cold white ceiling. Oh, she wished that she at least had a mobile to distract her and keep her company, but now all she could think about was her father finding her. He had to, she thought, for to this day he had never let her down before. He had a grand plan, and she trusted in that. He knew what he was doing…she only wished he would do it quickly. She had faith enough in him that he would come to find her, and that they would be happy at home in the end. One more time to be brave, she told herself…one more time around the track until the finish line. She had crossed every obstacle so far, and she was destined not to let this stop her, or him. He truly did love her, and she knew that more than she knew anything. She just wanted to be with him once again, to be in his arms, and she didn't want to stay here another minute, but little did this poor, frail girl know that she would be trapped in here for another span of twenty eight years, and when she thought that her journey home had ended…it had simply just begun.


	35. Chapter 35-Twenty Eight Years

Chapter 35

Twenty Eight Years

Elizabeth eventually found that not only was the hospital the place where the sick people lived, but also it was a place where nothing ever changed, well, for the most part. Mostly, it was cold, boring, and depressing. There was nothing for Elizabeth to do but just lie there, watching the hours tick by, and overhearing doctors talk about her being "a miracle of modern science", whatever that meant, and nothing ever seemed to change as far as the ages of people either. Everyone stayed the same age and seemed to be doing the same thing every single day. It was as if time had frozen, which, unknowing to Elizabeth, it was. And the more she looked over at James, the more she wished he would wake up. He seemed to be sleeping and never seemed to awake, and when she asked Dr. Whale what was wrong with him, he said he had slipped into what was that he said…a coma? It was like a sleeping curse, where the victim's eyes would close and still be asleep…but would never wake up either. Elizabeth, on the other hand, never slept one wink. The tubes were starting to really annoy her, and of course the major reason was that she was crying for her father. She would have wanted anyone that she would have known at that point, but alas, no one was there to remember her. She was awake and all alone most of the time. So lonely that at times she would talk to James even though he never talked back, and she would imagine what he would say. It seemed she had a roommate…but a roommate didn't exactly help if she couldn't talk to him. But as much as he was in his curse, she still found it moral to talk to him. He was still alive, after all. "Hi James…." She spoke to him as she looked over at his bed one August morning of 1985 after two years of being in here. By this point, since they were roommates, Elizabeth felt comfortable with calling him James , for if he was awake, they probably would have been great friends by now….even if he didn't remember his old life. Yet, he still lay in his silent sleep, Elizabeth watching him constantly for a change. Perhaps, it was much out of curiousity as it was a distraction, her need for hope and distraction overriding her sense of comprehension. She sighed and looked at his sleeping face. "Still not talkin to me, huh?" She sighed with a lonely draw. One day, though, she got a pleasant surprise, a ray of hope in all this darkness. She had woken up to find her bed right next to James, at least she had far enough to reach him. So many barely went in the man with the hopeless coma and the kid who was hopeless overall's room. Both of their cases were beyond hope and so, they had put the two right next to each other, in order for the hope that having another living thing near the man would give him some stimulation, and for the fact that they felt bad for the lonely girl and noticed how she was trying to be friendly with him despite him being in a coma. Elizabeth grinned for once as she weakly held onto a couple of James' fingers. And then she noticed something: even in his coma, he wrapped his fingers around hers as a measure of solidarity. She wondered, though, if he knew she was there or if it was just an instinct. Either way, the close contact felt like something she never had felt in a long time, and that was the day that James became her friend. As lonely as she was sometimes when she wasn't holding James' fingers for her comfort, loneliness wasn't her only problem around here. There were times, desperate, lonely, horrible times where she would reach out for one of the nurses or doctors, and they would never respond, and some frowned upon her wanting to be treated as if she were a baby. She found out quickly that it wasn't all that acceptable for a sick person to be coddled so much, and some of the nurses had educated her sternly on this subject(yet Whale stood up for her several times by saying that their scolding was only making her hopeless situation worse, and that becoming hopeless was equal to becoming even more ill.) Whale would even keep her company once in a while, even though he had no idea that he once thought of her as his niece. It made sense, for out of all of the staff, he seemed to be the only one who truly cared. She also found that he was very busy, and that she would only get to see him once a month. Even the volunteers had become to scared and too depressed by her situation to even go into that room to see her….all except one. Elizabeth had recognized her in an instant, despite the fact that her long black hair was now cropped short. She could still recognize those green eyes anywhere and that skin, fair and white as snow. Elizabeth had found out as the years accumulated in this room, that she needed to now call people here by their fake names, that is, if she didn't want to seem crazy. After a quick conversation with her mother's friend, she learned that her name here was Mary Margaret Blanchard. And though Elizabeth wanted to call her Miss Blanchard to be polite, but she insisted that the child could call her Mary Margaret. She then would visit for around a half an hour Elizabeth every few weeks to give her a much needed dose of attention, and, most importantly, would bring her books. She had shown up one day in 1987 with a book that she found very, very interesting. In fact, it was a whole series. The Storybrooke Library was closed, and there was no reason why, Mary Margaret thought that Elizabeth couldn't keep them. Elizabeth loved to read. It distracted her from her ordeals and it reminded her of home as well. She also would wonder for a while if the magical lands she all read about existed just like she did. Or perhaps…it gave her hope that there were other magical folk like her out there. And Elizabeth definitely had time to spare to read all of these stories. The first series she read was The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy, then all of the Oz books, then, her attention went to reading a big blue book full of myths and legends from around the world, and then a book about the constellations. Her favorites, though, came about in the later years, when Elizabeth began to read Harry Potter in the late nineties and the Percy Jackson series in the even later years when she was in the ICU. Mary Margaret also noticed Elizabeth's odd tendency to love everything concerning fantasy and magic…and the look she saw in her eyes when she was reading it was plainly recognized…hope. So therefore, she was more than willing to bring her some new books when she had finished with the others. It did the best that it could to help Elizabeth pass all of the years, months, weeks, days, hours and minutes and seconds that lay before her, but it still affected her to be on her own for so long. She had become so bored and quickly found that there was no way of escape that she was starting to scratch tick marks in the walls to show how many years she had been in there. They seemed to come by slower and slower these days. Every day, the longing became more and more severe, so much that she began to hear his voice in her sleep and actually see him. It was part of the reason to why she never slept. She would hear his voice sometimes, calling to her and telling her to come home, but then within minutes, the voice was gone, and she was left alone again. She would even see him sometimes, standing by the door with outstretched arms, or even at times a vision of both her parents, both reaching out to her. Whenever she touched him or her, they seemed to fade away into the darkness of the room, leaving only the beeping of machines and the moans of the sick and the dying to accompany her. Yet with all of this surrounding her, she never once gave up hope that he would come and take her away from all of it. So she held vigil at the window that her bed was next to, day after day, every minute. She would stare out that window all day and all night, faithfully waiting for him to come. And never once did she lose that faith that he would come for her. Some of the more aware patients called her the statue of the intensive care unit, for at times she waited so patiently and so fervently that she hardly blinked. They were all frozen in time, and she, who was the only one there with her memories of the past…was the most frozen of all of them. Ageless to begin with, immortal, never growing, sickness never leaving her body, and waiting in limbo for her father to come and rescue her. The only time she would move was to cry bitterly, for as the years went on, her loneliness grew. You see, Elizabeth thought it would be a matter of months before she was found…not a matter of years. And after twenty eight long, cold, lonely years, it had started to affect her. Like Echo, she could have nearly pined away until there was nothing left of her but her voice. But still, she kept her vigil at dimly lit narrow window, and her behavior was so out of touch that everyone thought she was insane…and perhaps she was…who wouldn't be after all she had been through? Yet, inside of Elizabeth, she knew one thing and one thing only: that she would go home one day. And right she was…and as October 29, 2011 came to Storybrooke, everything did change…greatly.


	36. Chapter 36-Mr Gold's Preparation

Chapter 36

Mr. Gold's Preparation

It was a snowy night on October 29, 2011. It had never snowed in Storybrooke before, but for the first time tonight a flurry presented itself. On the now wet streets, the only car that seemed to pass was a yellow bug. It now passed in front of a pawnshop that was still open even though the evening hours were starting to grow. Inside, amongst the old antiques and curiosities sat the owner at a display case. The man, dressed in a classy suit, had a lonely expression on his face as he stared out into the distance. There was something he had just remembered…someone. Someone he had lost a long time ago. His memories had returned to him….and he had no idea where to look first. She could be anywhere, he thought…she could even be gone forever. For, Regina had told him some years ago that his daughter had died from the loss of magic, but somehow, he couldn't find it in himself to believe her. It was all his fault, she thought, she had believed in him…she had trusted him…she had stood up for him when no one else would have, and she had saved him…and now…he couldn't save her. He had left her…he had abandoned her…just as he had done with Bae. He looked straight ahead for one moment, and then sighed, chocking back the tear which had come into his eyes. "I'm sorry me girl…so sorry…" just as he did that, the phone rang to break the silence. His hands shaking, he slowly picked it up and returned his voice to that of the constant and confident Mr. Gold. "Hello? Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop?" A mousy voice spoke on the other end of the line, that of Mary Margaret Blanchard. "Hello? Mr. Gold? This is Mary Margaret volunteering for the Storybrooke hospital…do you know a patient here?" he squinted his eyes in confusion for a moment. "A patient? I…I don't understand…" "Her name is Elizabeth Annabelle Gold…she was crying for her father…" His eyes widened and he gulped. Elizabeth was alive...alive and waiting for him, crying for years…a fate worse than death. "I'll…be there to pick her up in a little while. Alert Doctor Whale….he'll understand…" his voice grew dark at the last two words. "Thank you Ms. Blanchard." A new, fresh wave of delight, panic, and longing grew in Gold's heart now. He didn't want to keep Elizabeth waiting not a minute longer for him…she had already waited for far too long. Yet, he couldn't just take her home and have nothing ready. There was no magic in this world that he could use for the items needed for her care, so he would need to make an emergency trip to Dark Star Pharmacy. Keeping his excitement up on fatherly instinct, Gold ran and hobbled at the same time out of the shop, quickly locking the door behind him and sliding into the front seat of his Cadillac. Revving up the engine, Gold sped out to the pharmacy. There was no officer alive that would mess with the owner of the town, the well respected, and well feared Mr. Eli Gold. He arrived at the pharmacy in no time at all. Now, the Dark Star Pharmacy was where the residents of Storybrooke all got their groceries and everyday needs. Gold would have to go there to get what he needed to take care of Elizabeth, even if he only would buy a week's worth of supplies just to get her home. After all, he would eventually need to take a trip to the department store to order a crib, a rocking chair, and a changing table, but for now he needed just to bring her home. Confusion reigned in his heart and mind as Gold walked aimlessly through the isles of the child care isle. Taking care of her was so much simpler with magic. First thing: food. "Heaven only knows what they've been feeding her…or at all…." He muttered to himself as he tried to figure out the right formula to give her. Finally, he found one that would support a complete diet for her(which much help of the pharmacist) and bought at least five baby bottles so that he could change them out easily. He then had to pick up at least a week's worth of diapers, and luckily for him, she was so tiny that she would easily fit them. He also bought a changing mat to make up for it until the changing table was bought. To soothe Elizabeth for the pain and insecurity that she must have been feeling, he also bought her a pacifier. He knew that people would probably raise an eyebrow at him raising and taking care of his daughter as if she were still a baby, but honestly, he didn't care. After all of the suffering, sacrifice, and hardship that she had been put through for his sake, the poor creature more than deserved it. As people saw Gold buying these things, they had concluded that the old man was going mad at last. After all, to their knowledge, Gold didn't have any children…after all, how could such a stingy, cruel, and unfeeling man such as him care for a child? If he did have a child, they already began to feel bad, against their better judgement, for his child. And he felt just as awkward when paying for the supplies, the checkout giving him dirty looks, and it wasn't looking any better when Gold gave him an awkward frown. "What?!" he snapped "My daughter's coming home…." He mumbled as he snatched the bags and headed out to the car. He then looked at the backseat with a frown. Elizabeth would never be safe back there without a carseat, and he probably needed clothes for her. Sighing, his heart aching to retrieve his long lost daughter, he shook his head and sped off towards the department store. It was small, since this town needed just a small establishment. He quickly headed inside to order things for the nursery as well as bought some pajamas and a car seat that would fit her(and the Cadillac as well). Since it was now moving into the winter months, the pajamas that he had bought for her were all footed and he had bought ten of them just to give her a good wardrobe to start with. In his mind, there was no use for Elizabeth to wear regular clothing. Elizabeth needed to feel safe, secure, and comfortable, and the child had no need to dress in anything other than pajamas. He had bought them in soft pastel and comforting patterns, and was sure to get a pink one. Once the stuff was in the car, he had set the car seat in correctly after fifteen minutes of figuring out how it worked. However, Gold had one more place to see tonight before finally bringing the child home: ironically, it was his own home. When the curse had took him, it had measured a cruel joke in bringing along her pink blanket that he had made for her and her stuffed unicorn, along with her ribbon, bell, and spinning wheel charm. And they all lay without it's owner in a closet in his home. He quickly hurried inside and grabbed the blanket, and he paused for a moment as he felt the soft pink fibers with his wiry fingers. He could remember the last time he was holding her in this, a long twenty eight years ago when he was talking to a client. Brining the blanket close to his nose, he breathed in the scent…still just as fresh as if he had just swaddled Elizabeth in it for her to take a nap. He now couldn't help the tears that came to his eyes. However, inhaling her scent tore into his heart and made him even more fervent to get Elizabeth and bring her home forever. He quickly grabbed the blanket and ran into the car, and once more, sped to the hospital across town. While he was driving, a fearful possibility began to cross his mind: what if she didn't forgive him for all of his abandonment of her? However, he had to try…he owed it to her to try. As he pulled up to the hospital, his heart ached with excitement and nervousness at the same time. His heart began to pick up the pace as he headed inside. After twenty eight years, he would see his baby girl for the very first time. Hobbling through the hospital with a confused look on his face, a hand knit pink blanket clutched in his arms, he tried to find the place that Ms. Blanchard described…the Intensive Care Unit. He soon arrived there, talking to the girl at the front desk in a quiet, but threatening tone of voice. "I'm looking for a patient named Elizabeth Annabelle Gold…I want to take her home…" the nurse was trembling in fear at the sight of his commanding presence. "Mr…Mr. Gold…Doctor Whale gave specific orders not to…" "I thought I could convince Dr. Whale otherwise….after all…isn't it a fact that I rent out to this establishment? Wouldn't it be a shame if….the rent was raised?" he raised an eyebrow, snarling through his teeth. He would do anything, and anything at all to get to his poor baby girl, and would never tolerate these insolent employees telling him what to do. "I'm taking her out…and I am taking her back home with me…I will put up with no further questions…" he hissed through his teeth. "And I will ask you once again….where….is…she…." With the nurse nervously giving the room number, 541, he took off towards that room…and he could already hear those desperate cries coming up the passageways, crying out for him to come and save her. Not even minding his limp anymore, he rushed along the halls, parental instinct guiding his every move. "I'm coming Elizabeth….papa's coming…" he said breathlessly, and within moments, he was bursting through room 541, to find the child crying out to him.


	37. Chapter 37-The Return

Chapter 37

The Return

Meanwhile, Elizabeth had been sleeping, but had also been crying in her sleep as she usually did. However, tonight was not going to be just another lonely night. Elizabeth woke with a sudden start, an odd feeling coming over her. It was a feeling of sudden nervousness and excitement rousing her inside. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared, an odd sense of instinct coming in waves over her brain. There was a strange feeling poking at her skin, as if a thousand needles suddenly prodded her. Her breathing quickened, her body feeling hot and cold at the same time. As she looked around her surroundings, she saw the same old grey and white walls of the room, but as she looked at her hand, there was a difference on the paper bracelet that lay around her wrist: the name on it was no longer Jane Doe. With widened eyes, she looked at the new name that had suddenly appeared on it's paper surface:**GOLD, ELIZABETH ANNABELLE**. Elizabeth…that was her first name, yet it just didn't make sense to her why it had appeared all of the sudden, as if a switch had been turned on in and around her. And then, came the scent: that woodsy, amber, alchemic scent of her father. It filled her nostrils and flooded her longs, making her skin tingle and her heart beat like thunder with instinct. "But….how…" she murmured, confused, tears of bafflement beginning to well in her amber eyes. She dreaded another hallucination or another trick of the mind or heart, which she had feared that this was. It was driving her mad, if insanity had not come already. Her instinct was so strong that it had felt more real than ever before. All she could hear was her beating heart for a moment, the scent and this instinctive pull getting stronger with every second that passed, and Elizabeth could take it no longer. Even if he wasn't real again, she had to try calling out for him again. She had become too lonely, too desperate, and too heartbroken not to. Even if it was only a few seconds of a fleeting vision, she wanted to see him again so badly. It was at this point that she started to cry like a newborn for her father like she used to when she lived at the dark castle. Long, mournful, painful cries did she admit, wailing constantly and not even minding her weak lungs. All the sudden she could hear one of the nurse's voices, probably coming to scold her again for her madness. But this time, the nurse was talking to Doctor Whale in a panicked voice. "Dr..Dr. Whale, we can't hold him back anymore…he just turned over a wheelchair…" _Him? _There was an ache and also a flicker of hope in her heart. It was a man who was trying to get into her room. Could it really be him? Coming to save her from this cold, dark place at last? At that, she cried even more loudly. "PAPA!" she cried out helplessly, when suddenly someone burst into the room. A man in a suit and long silky brown hair, carrying a cane, his eyes as wide as hers, came into the room. With her teary amber eyes, she looked at him for a moment in confusion. She could now see who he was, and he had become human just like she had. "P….papa?" she asked through her quiet, defeated, weepy voice, looking up at him. Mr. Gold's lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears as soon as he saw her. She seemed even smaller this time around, all this complicated, uncomfortable equipment hooked up to her. Seeing her lying there, looking so lonely, miserable, and defeated broke his heart. He no longer saw that fighting look in her eyes that he used to see before, as if life itself hadn't managed to stay within her heart. He shuddered looking at the tic marks above the bed that she had obviously scratched into the walls herself: twenty eight of them. She had spent twenty eight years in this cold, dark, stinking hospital room, with only a coma patient to accompany her. And all of this was his fault. With an aching heart, he sniffed and tears came into his eyes. "Oh Elizabeth…I'm so sorry love…I…I don't know if you could ever forgive me…but..." He choked out, but to his surprise, before she could say anything else, a smile suddenly came on her face and she began to cry happy, joyful tears and held her arms out to him, her weak bones shaking, not even caring about the constraints of the cords. "Papa…you found me…" she had forgiven him in an instant, not even caring about what led her to be here. All she knew was that he had come back like she always knew he would. All of those years of being alone and waiting, just waiting for him to return had paid off. And without hesitation, Gold rushed forward and disconnected every tube and wire from her body, and then scooped her up in his arms, holding her cradled to his chest. She cried joyful tears into his suit, sobbing with happiness at being held again as she buried her head in him. "Papa…I…I knew you would come back…they…said I was crazy…but I waited…and waited…and you came back for me…just like I knew you would…" He brushed her hair back behind her face and looked into her eyes, tears still threatening to spill over his eyelids. "Oh love…I'm so sorry it took me so long…I…I…thought you were…gone forever…" "It's okay papa…you're back now…." She looked up at him pleadingly. "Can we go…home now?" granted, she had so many questions for him, but right now just wanted to go home and out of this place, no matter where home was nowadays, as long as it was with him. Later, she would ask him about everything, why they both appeared different now, and why this place was so different from home. Gold readily nodded in agreement. "Let me just get you ready and we'll be out of here, darling…" he whispered and shut the door to the room, closing the curtain behind him so that he could make sure all the medical equipment was disconnected for her. The machines had done everything, sadly, and needed to make sure that he could dress her to be out of the hospital at last. Taking her hospital gown off and the equipment underneath. Now it was time for Elizabeth to become a child once more and not just some average sick person. He put a clean diaper on her(which took him at least a few minutes to see how the modern day ones worked) and then chose a pink pair of footie pajamas to dress her in. The entire time he did so, he was cooing over her, speaking soft, soothing words to her as he did so. "There we go, little one….such a good girl…" The voice relieved and soothed her aching heart more than he could possibly imagine. All those years of being in here, she was never spoken to like this….only he could put this fragile, pain stricken child at ease. His soft, Scottish accent was like a melodic lullaby to her ears, calming her in a way that no one ever could. He then grabbed the pink blanket, and she recognized it on an instant. Her eyes started to water once more at the sight of it, and a wide grin sported her face "You…kept it?" He smiled down at her and brushed his hand through her soft brown hair. Even after all this time locked away in this horrible place…it was still as smooth as silk. "Of course darling…I would never dream of getting rid of it…" he grinned as he carefully swaddled her in it's folds of soft pink yarn. After this, Doctor Whale wanted to have one last look, and he reluctantly agreed to that. He sighed as he stood impatiently outside of the student observation window, looking in on the specialized examination area as a new parent would look into the nursery window. He watched her face as he kept mouthing "I love you…" to her and watching her sweet little face as she reacted to him. He sighed as he watched her and then, because she couldn't hear him, started whispering to himself and to her in general as he pressed his nose up against the plexiglass, still looking down into her eyes. "Listen….I really screwed things up for you. But I promise you, from this moment on…I will give you the best life you have ever known. And I will never, ever leave you again…" When he was finally able to bring her out of the hospital, he took her back in his arms and rocked the dizzy, half asleep child in his arms as he hobbled out of the ICU. Carrying her would be only slightly more challenging now since he had to carry a cane as well, but luckily for him, Elizabeth was so tiny that she could fit comfortably in one arm. Besides, once Elizabeth could be brought outside again(which according to the doctor, Elizabeth would have to stay inside the Gold residence for two weeks in order to adjust to being out of the hospital) he would probably buy or even fashion somewhat of a sling or a carrier in order to carry her more effectively. The nurses offered him a wheelchair, but he of course, flat out refused. Elizabeth had been put through enough, and making her go into this cold contraption instead of his warm arms was too cruel for words. He wanted her to have that security of always being close to his chest just like she used to. She needed more love and attention than ever before, and the beating of his heart would soothe her and keep her nice and warm. It had taken him more than a few minutes, though, to put her in the car seat and figure it out. And when he drove away, he took Elizabeth away from the ICU, hopeful that she would have no cause to return to that place ever again. Of course he had to relearn taking care of her again…and it would be a process from this point on…but one thing remained: his baby girl was finally coming home.


	38. Chapter 38-Welcome Home

Chapter 38

Welcome Home

Gold couldn't help but smile as he looked at Elizabeth's precious, happy reflection in the rear view mirror of his Cadillac. She was indeed happy...happier than she had been in a long time. And the same was true for him. Gold's genuine smile was rare…something that many would argue that this was the first time that he had sported that smile. Elizabeth was thrilled in looking at everything all around her, the fantastic views of this new modern world thrilling her with every new sensation. She couldn't see that much due to her eyesight being weak from years of hunger and being trapped inside that dim room. But what she could see though, was thrilling her. And so, as curious as her mother, she started to ask him all sorts of questions, especially about the car. He had explained it to her as simply as he could. "Oh? This is a car, baby girl, it's sort of like a horseless carriage…" Due to Elizabeth's mind still being in terms of the enchanted forest, he had to explain things to her in those specific terms. She was wide eyed at this and then he chuckled at her reaction. He had to do everything he could to keep his eyes on the road, for Elizabeth just looked so precious nestled in her car seat and half asleep, the pacifier that he had gotten her already in her mouth. As peaceful and as wonderful as this moment was, there were still things that worried him about this. He was concerned that he wouldn't remember how to take care of Elizabeth after all these years. After all, Eli Gold never had to take care of a baby, but there was still enough memories inside of him and his old self to whisper to him what to do. After all, how was he going to distinguish her cries? How was he going to know whether she was hungry, needed to be changed, or just needed his affection? He wouldn't remember what certain crying meant now, after all these years of having no one to care for. How was he, the mean old man of the town who had never thought of anyone in terms of love but in terms of rent, going to keep this tiny little life that he now would hold in his hands alive? He told himself to snap out of it and let instinct guide him as he did so many years ago when he first started to take Elizabeth into his care. However, it wouldn't be that simple without magic anymore. Regardless of all these little obstacles, he would overcome them and make Elizabeth happy, giving her the life that she had deserved. As they finally pulled up to the mansion, the thrilled smile on her face couldn't be mistaken. She couldn't see much, but by what she could tell, the house was the biggest on the street. It was a beautiful Victorian home, sporting a soft Rose color and stained glass windows. Much like his castle, it put every other dwelling in the area to shame. As he pulled into the driveway and put the car into park, he smiled and reached behind, touching and rubbing Elizabeth's little hand. "We're home baby girl…" he cooed, getting out of the car to go get her out of the backseat. "H…home…" her weak little voice chimed in, a content smile spreading across her pale face. After all of these years she was coming home. This mansion was beautiful, but even a shack would be fine for her if she could live with him in it. That's all she ever wanted: was to be at home with him. She looked all around her as he opened the door and unbuckled her, but there was only one place where she could be focused: his eyes. She kept eye contact with him while he was unbuckling her, earning her a kiss on the forehead. "That's right lovey, we're home." He then picked the little thing up into his arms, hobbling as he carried her up to the door. Getting the door unlocked was interesting, to say the least. He held Elizabeth on his hip and unlocked the door with that hand, leaning on his cane with the other. She, at this point, noticed his limp and became immediately concerned. Elizabeth cared about him so much that even the slightest bit of pain on his part worried her half to death. "Papa…you're…you're…" as he finally managed to unlock the door, he shook his head softly and nuzzled her cheek. "Shhh…it's okay little one…it's always been there…and it doesn't really hurt that much at all. Worry you not…" he soothed, soon opening the door. Elizabeth's blurry, hazy eyes couldn't see that much at all, she was trying to see what she could, her curiosity getting the better of her. Holding her, he could feel that she was even smaller and thinner than she used to be, and he was able to feel her ribs. He wanted to start feeding her right away, for he could clearly hear her stomach growling. That, and a feeding would help them to bond once again. "Are you hungry, dear?" he asked, nuzzling the top of her head. The thought of getting fed to begin with made her mouth water and her stomach howl. It had been twenty eight years since anyone bothered to feed her, and needless to say she was starving. "Uh..uh-huh…" he nodded in agreement and lay her down on the nearby couch in the den beside the kitchen. "You wait here sweetheart…papa get your bottle…" he sighed and entered the kitchen, confused out of his mind as he looked at the directions on the container of formula. It was so much easier to just conjure up her food with the wave of his hand…and without magic, he found himself to be hopeless. With every other thing that he had to do on his own like every human did, it was the same thing. A land without magic was no place for either of them, but he had to make the best of it. A small stove fire and a burnt finger later, he emerged from the kitchen with the bottle in hand. "Here we go love…don't worry about that smell, the fire's gone…" she looked up at him concerned and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Everything's alright love…everything's alright…" he whispered, sitting down with her on the couch, cradling her to his lap. He remembered this, at least, and he could sit and rest his leg at the same time. "Here we go love…" he cooed softly, putting the bottle into her mouth. It had worked out that feedings were the ultimate way for the father and daughter to bond with each other. The routine alone required a lot of trust and close contact. And as she looked up into his eyes as she nursed, he couldn't help the soft smile that had spread across his lips. Such a smile had never been seen on his face before. He started to speak sweet nothings to her while she was feeding, just to keep her attention and to give her the sense of security that she had not felt in years. "Hi Elizabeth….you're still my baby girl, yeah?" he cooed gently, also praising her for eating in general since he was fearful that she wouldn't be able to. "That's a good girl…my girl…" he rubbed her forehead tenderly with his nose, nuzzling her there. She was so starved that she was hungrily draining the bottle without even so much as a break to breath, going so fast that she nearly moved his hand once. He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, well! Someone's a little hungry…" Even after he had fed her, he sat there with her and just cradled her. It had been so long since he had held her like this, and had forgotten how much he loved it. Holding her gave him a sense of hope that he never could feel with anyone else. The child looked up at him with a loving gaze that he could see with no one else. Like most young babies after being fed, she would probably want to go to sleep soon, but for now they just wanted to spend that precious, long awaited time together. She couldn't speak too much yet, but she tried to talk to him anyway just to hear his soft Scottish voice. "P…papa…" she smiled up at him and reached up with her tiny little shaky hand and touched his nose. "Yes dear…your papa's here…and he's never leaving you again…" the guilt he felt for leaving her behind was unbelievable, and he was going to try his hardest ever to make up for all that he had done. He was determined in that moment to never leave her again, and to take care of her forever. Perhaps the promise he couldn't keep as an imp was a promise he could keep as the rich landlord. He smiled down at her softly, being able to tell that she was getting sleepy from years of not sleeping in the ICU. Her little eyes were droopy now and he smiled at that cute little yawn. She wanted to ask about what had happened, why they were like this…every question about this new land that could possibly be imagined, but she was too tired to even try to ask, and he was too tired to try to explain. To help her along, Gold put the pacifier in her mouth and began to softly sing an old Scottish lullaby that he used to sing to her back in the old world. All the while, he rocked the frail, sickly child back and forth carefully. She put an ear to his chest just so that she could hear its soothing sound. As she finally gave into sleep in his arms, he stood up and carefully searched out the basket that she used to sleep in an set her in, putting the basket in his bedroom so that he could get up and pick her up if she needed him. Both hoped that when they woke up tomorrow, it wouldn't be just some beautiful dream, and they would wake up with each other instead of a lonely old mansion and a cold hospital room. And of course, that point was proven when she cried for him in the middle of the night…for the first time in years.


End file.
